Diversified Supply under Coordinated Governance: A Study on the Service Supply Efficiency of District-Level Elderly Sports Associations in Shanghai

Optimizing the service supply efficiency of elderly sports associations is a critical requirement for implementing the national fitness strategy and addressing the challenges of an aging population. This study employs the super slack-based measure model within Data Envelopment Analysis to calculate the service supply efficiency of district-level elderly sports associations in Shanghai. Following an approach of “classification, comparison, and issue identification”, the study compares and analyzes the service supply efficiency of different types of district-level elderly sports associations. The study concludes that: 1) The service of district-level elderly sports associations in Shanghai exhibits the characteristics of diversified supply under coordinated governance.Coordinated governance is demonstrated in unified service types, content standards, and supply pathways of elderly sports services under the leadership of the municipal association and government departments. The coordination extends to the planning of governance subjects, governance environment, and governance resources. Diversified supply is evident in the varied efficiency,influencing factors, and coping strategies of service provision by district-level elderly sports associations. 2) The service provision of elderly sports associations at the district level in Shanghai can be classified into four categories: high-efficiency, potential, to be optimized, and to be developed. 3) In the domain of service provision, the difference in service efficiency between urban and rural areas reflects the contradiction between equal access to public services and the personalized nature of elderly sports needs. 4) In terms of the relationship between government and society, the difference in service efficiency between the dependent and independent types is derived from the organizational structure of the sports administration department in this region, with the former having a flatter organizational structure and the latter having a more complex hierarchical structure. 5) Regarding resource integration, the disparity in service supply efficiency between vertical and horizontal integration arises from the unique endowments of elderly sports resources in each district. Districts with a clear endowment advantage typically opt for vertical integration as a resource coordination strategy, whereas those with less pronounced endowment advantages are more likely to choose horizontal integration.