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Articles 1 - 24 of 24
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Is There An Economic Case For The Olympic Games?, Chris Dempsey, Victor Matheson
Is There An Economic Case For The Olympic Games?, Chris Dempsey, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
The Olympic Games are a major undertaking that promise both large costs and potentially large benefits to host cities. This paper lays out the potential economic benefits of hosting the Olympics and details how, in the vast majority of cases, these gains are unlikely to cover the costs of hosting the event. The ideas are then applied to the experience of Boston in its ultimately unsuccessful bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The Economic Impact Of Olympic Games: Effects Of Host Country Announcements On Stock Market Returns, Bryan Engelhardt, Victor Matheson, Alex Yen, Max Chisholm
The Economic Impact Of Olympic Games: Effects Of Host Country Announcements On Stock Market Returns, Bryan Engelhardt, Victor Matheson, Alex Yen, Max Chisholm
Economics Department Working Papers
Roughly seven years before an Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) accepts bids from countries to host an Olympics. Subsequently, the IOC determines and announces to the world who has won (and lost) the right to host. Contrary to prior evidence, we find the announcements do not affect the bidding countries’ stock markets. We complement prior studies by including additional, more recent, years of announcements, by investigating whether there are effects prior to the announcement, and by testing for an effect both parametrically and non-parametrically.
An Analysis Of Drivers Of Mega-Events In Emerging Economies, Robert Baade, Victor Matheson
An Analysis Of Drivers Of Mega-Events In Emerging Economies, Robert Baade, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
Developing countries that host mega-events such as the Olympic Games and World Cup invest enormous sums in stadiums and collateral infrastructure projects. The paper examines the motivations of countries to host these events and the typical economic outcome for those host sites lucky(?) enough be awarded the games. For both efficiency and equity reasons, these events are risk propositions at best, and they generally represent an even worse investment for developing countries than for industrialized nations.
Many Happy Returns? The Pro-Bowl, Mega-Events, And Tourism In Hawaii, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Many Happy Returns? The Pro-Bowl, Mega-Events, And Tourism In Hawaii, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
We use daily airplane arrival data from 2004 to 2015 from Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to determine the net change in arrivals around a variety of sporting events. We find only one event generates a positive and significant net impact on arrivals: the Honolulu Marathon, which generates roughly 3,900 additional arrivals. No other sporting events result in a measurable increase in tourist arrivals including, notably, the NFL’s Pro Bowl, which receives a large subsidy from the state’s tourism authority.
Infrastructure Investments And Mega-Sports Events: Comparing The Experience Of Developing And Industrialized Countries, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Infrastructure Investments And Mega-Sports Events: Comparing The Experience Of Developing And Industrialized Countries, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
Countries vigorously compete for sports mega-events in hopes of generating an economic impact during the event but also long-term growth induced by the hallmark event. It is well understood that the economic legacy depends on the infrastructure that not only facilitates the games but also has far broader implications for sustainable economic activity in the host city’s economy. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the extent to which developing and developed countries adopt different strategies as it related to the composition of infrastructure enhancements that have implications for the generation of an economy legacy from the mega-sports event.
Assessing The Infrastructure Impact Of Mega-Events In Emerging Economies, Victor Matheson
Assessing The Infrastructure Impact Of Mega-Events In Emerging Economies, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
Developing countries that host mega-events such as the Olympic Games and World Cup invest enormous sums in stadiums and collateral infrastructure projects. The rapid investment in long-lasting physical stocks raises questions of equity and efficiency for national taxpayers and event attendees. This paper reviews several cases of historical and recent mega-events to assess the infrastructure costs, returns on infrastructure investments, and impacts of the events on urban development patterns. It will highlight cases where mega-event investments contributed to long-term economic growth.
An Evaluation Of The Economic Impact Of National Football League Mega-Events, Robert Baade, Victor Matheson
An Evaluation Of The Economic Impact Of National Football League Mega-Events, Robert Baade, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
This paper evaluates the magnitude and the economic impact of NFL mega-events including the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl. The paper also reviews the theory behind the usual findings that the observed economic benefits of mega-events are almost always a fraction of the benefits claimed a priori.
Estimating Economic Impact Using Ex Post Econometric Analysis: Cautionary Tales, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Estimating Economic Impact Using Ex Post Econometric Analysis: Cautionary Tales, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
This paper provides an overview of techniques that can be used to estimate the economic impact of stadiums, events, championships, and franchises on local economies. Utilizing data from National Collegiate Athletic Association championships, this paper highlights the potential problems that can be made if city and time effects are not handled and unit-roots are not accounted for. In addition, the paper describes the technique for estimating dynamic panel data and the advantages that come with these modeling techniques.
Labor Market Effects Of The World Cup: A Sectoral Analysis, Robert Baumann, Bryan Engelhardt, Victor Matheson
Labor Market Effects Of The World Cup: A Sectoral Analysis, Robert Baumann, Bryan Engelhardt, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
This paper provides an empirical examination of impact the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States on local employment. In contrast to ex ante economic impact reports that suggest large increases in employment due to the tournament, an ex post examination of employment in 9 host metropolitan areas finds no significant impact on employment from hosting World Cup games. Furthermore, an analysis of employment in specific sectors of the economy finds no impact from hosting games on employment in the leisure and hospitality and professional and business services sectors but a statistically significant negative impact on employment in the …
The Labor Market Effects Of The Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, Robert Baumann, Bryan Engelhardt, Victor Matheson
The Labor Market Effects Of The Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, Robert Baumann, Bryan Engelhardt, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
The local, state, and federal governments, along with the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee, spent roughly $1.9 billion in direct costs related to planning and hosting the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. In this paper, we investigate whether these expenditures increased employment. At the state level, we find strong evidence it increased employment in leisure related industries in the short run and potentially in the long run. However, the results indicate it had no long term impact on employment in retail trade or in the overall economy.
The Effect Of Sports Franchises On Property Values: The Role Of Owners Versus Renters, Katherine A. Kiel, Victor Matheson, Christopher Sullivan
The Effect Of Sports Franchises On Property Values: The Role Of Owners Versus Renters, Katherine A. Kiel, Victor Matheson, Christopher Sullivan
Economics Department Working Papers
This paper estimates the public benefits to homeowners in cities with NFL franchises by examining housing prices rather than housing rents. In contrast to Carlino and Coulson (2004) we find that the presence of an NFL franchise has no effect on housing prices in a city. Furthermore, we also test whether the presence and size of the subsidy to the team affects values and find that higher subsidies for NFL stadium construction lead to lower house prices. This suggests that the benefits that homeowners receive from the presence of a team are negated by the increased tax burden due to …
Economics Of The Super Bowl, Victor Matheson
Economics Of The Super Bowl, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
The Super Bowl is America’s premier sporting event. This paper details basic economic facts about the game as examines the controversy surrounding the purported economic impact of the game on host communities. While the league and sports boosters claim that the game brings up to a $500 million economic impact to host cities, a review of the literature suggests that the true economic impact is a fraction of this amount.
Hail To The Chief: Assessing The Economic Impact Of Presidential Inaugurations On The Washington, D.C. Local Economy, Robert Baumann, Bryan Engelhardt, Victor Matheson
Hail To The Chief: Assessing The Economic Impact Of Presidential Inaugurations On The Washington, D.C. Local Economy, Robert Baumann, Bryan Engelhardt, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
While presidential inaugurations routinely attract hundreds of thousands or more visitors to Washington, D.C. for the quadrennial celebration, our examination of employment from the Current Employment Statistics survey from 1939 to the present and both employment and unemployment from the Current Population Survey from 1977 to the present finds no noticeable effect on either variable from the event. The residents of D.C. should not expect the inauguration to make them any richer, and the city should not count on any economic benefits generated by the event to fully pay for the significant costs of hosting it.
Slippery Slope? Assessing The Economic Impact Of The 2002 Winter Olympic Games In Salt Lake City, Utah, Robert Baade, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Slippery Slope? Assessing The Economic Impact Of The 2002 Winter Olympic Games In Salt Lake City, Utah, Robert Baade, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
This paper provides an empirical examination of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Our analysis of taxable sales in the counties in which Olympic events took place finds that some sectors such as hotels and restaurants prospered while other retailers such as general merchandisers and department stores suffered. Overall the gains in the hospitality industry are lower than the losses experienced by other sectors in the economy. Given the experience of Utah, potential Olympic hosts should exercise caution before proceeding down the slippery slope of bidding for this event.
Bowling In Hawaii: Examining The Effectiveness Of Sports-Based Tourism Strategies, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson, Chihiro Muroi
Bowling In Hawaii: Examining The Effectiveness Of Sports-Based Tourism Strategies, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson, Chihiro Muroi
Economics Department Working Papers
We use daily airplane arrival data from Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to determine the net change in tourism for a variety of sporting events. We find two events generate a positive and significant net impact on arrivals: Honolulu Marathon and Pro Bowl. We estimate that the Honolulu Marathon produces between 2,183 and 6,519 in net arrivals while the Pro Bowl attracts about 5,595 to 6,725 in net arrivals. At the upper end of our estimates, the Honolulu Marathon and the Pro Bowl attract a nearly identical number of visitors despite the fact that the HTA spends …
Rejecting “Conventional” Wisdom: Estimating The Economic Impact Of National Political Conventions, Robert Baade, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Rejecting “Conventional” Wisdom: Estimating The Economic Impact Of National Political Conventions, Robert Baade, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
This paper provides an empirical examination of the economic impact of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions on local economies. Our analysis from 1970-2005 of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the country, including all cities that have hosted one of the national conventions during this time period, finds that the presence of the Republican or the Democratic National Convention has no discernable impact on employment, personal income, or personal income per capita in the cities where the events were held confirming the results of other ex post analyses of mega-events.
Big Men On Campus: Estimating The Economic Impact Of College Sports On Local Economies, Robert Baade, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Big Men On Campus: Estimating The Economic Impact Of College Sports On Local Economies, Robert Baade, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
College football and men’s basketball are the largest revenue generators in college athletics. Studies funded by athletic boosters tout the economic benefits of a college athletic program as an incentive for host cities to construct new stadiums or arenas at considerable public expense. Our analysis of the economic impact of home football and men’s basketball games on Tallahassee (home of Florida State University) and Gainesville (home of the University of Florida) between 1980 to early-2007 fails to support these claims. Men’s basketball games at these universities have no statistically significant impact on taxable sales, while football yields a modest gain …
Down, Set, Hike: The Economic Impact Of College Football Games On Local Economies, Robert Baade, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Down, Set, Hike: The Economic Impact Of College Football Games On Local Economies, Robert Baade, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
This paper provides an empirical examination of the economic impact of spectator sports on local economies. Confirming the results of other ex post analyses of sports in general, this paper finds no statistically significant evidence that college football games in particular contribute positively to a host’s economy. Our analysis from 1970-2004 of 63 metropolitan areas that play host to big-time college football programs finds that neither the number of home games played, the winning percentage of the local team, nor winning a national championship has a discernable impact on either employment or personal income in the cities where the teams …
Mega-Events: The Effect Of The World’S Biggest Sporting Events On Local, Regional, And National Economies, Victor Matheson
Mega-Events: The Effect Of The World’S Biggest Sporting Events On Local, Regional, And National Economies, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
This paper provides an overview of the economics of sports mega-events as well as a review of the existing literature in the field. The paper describes why boosters’ ex ante estimates of the economic impact of large sporting events tend to exaggerate the net economic benefits of these events and surveys the results of a large number of ex post studies of exploring the true impact of mega-events.
Selling The Big Game: Estimating The Economic Impact Of Mega-Events Through Taxable Sales, Robert Baade, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Selling The Big Game: Estimating The Economic Impact Of Mega-Events Through Taxable Sales, Robert Baade, Robert Baumann, Victor Matheson
Economics Department Working Papers
Professional sports leagues, franchises, and civic boosters, have used the promise of an all star game or league championship as an incentive for host cities to construct new stadiums or arenas at considerable public expense. Past league-sponsored studies have estimated that Super Bowls, All-Star games and other sports mega-events increase economic activity by hundreds of millions of dollars in host cities. Our analysis fails to support these claims. Our detailed regression analysis of taxable sales in Florida over the period 1980 to 2004 reveals that on, average, mega-events ranging from the World Cup to the World Series have been associated …
Striking Out? The Economic Impact Of Major League Baseball Work Stoppages On Host, Victor Matheson, Robert Baade
Striking Out? The Economic Impact Of Major League Baseball Work Stoppages On Host, Victor Matheson, Robert Baade
Economics Department Working Papers
Major League Baseball teams have used the lure of economic riches as an incentive for cities to construct new stadiums at considerable public expense. Estimates of the economic impact of a MLB on host communities have typically been in the vicinity of $300 million. Our analysis suggest these numbers are wildly inflated. Using the baseball strikes of 1981, 1994, and 1995 as test cases, we find the net economic impact for a MLB team on a host city of $16.2 million under one model and $132.3 million under a second model.
The Paradox Of Championships: Be Careful What You Wish For, Sports Fans, Victor Matheson, Robert Baade
The Paradox Of Championships: Be Careful What You Wish For, Sports Fans, Victor Matheson, Robert Baade
Economics Department Working Papers
This paper examines issues related to the economic impact of sports championships on the local economy of host cities. While boosters frequently claim a large positive effect of such championships, a closer examination leads to the conclusion that the impact is likely much smaller than touted and may even be negative.
A Fall Classic? Assessing The Economic Impact Of The World Series, Victor Matheson, Robert Baade
A Fall Classic? Assessing The Economic Impact Of The World Series, Victor Matheson, Robert Baade
Economics Department Working Papers
An empirical analysis of the economic impact of the Major League Baseball’s postseason on host-city economies from 1972-2001 suggests that any economic benefits from the playoff are small or non-existent. An examination of 129 playoff series finds that any increase ineconomic growth as a result of the post-season is not statistically significantly different than zero and that a best guess of the economic impact is $6.8 million per home game. As a general method of economic development, public support of a baseball team’s attempt to reach the World Series should be seen as a gamble at best.
Mega-Sporting Events In Developing Nations: Playing The Way To Prosperity?, Victor Matheson, Robert Baade
Mega-Sporting Events In Developing Nations: Playing The Way To Prosperity?, Victor Matheson, Robert Baade
Economics Department Working Papers
Supporters of mega-sporting events such as the World Cup and Olympics claim that these events attract hoards of wealthy visitors and lead to lasting economic benefits for the host regions. Developing countries have become increasingly vocal in demanding a share of the economic benefits of these international games. The specialized infrastructure and operating expenses required to host these events, however, can be substantial. Independent researchers have found that boosters’ projections of the economic impact of sporting events exaggerate the true economic impact of these competitions, and these events are an even worse investment for developing countries than for industrialized nations.