Many countries promote participation in sport and physical activity among its citizens. We undertake an international comparative analysis of participation using data from 34 countries in the 2007 International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) Leisure Time and Sports module, augmented with...

The health benefits of participation in physical activity are well documented, yet the prevalence of meeting physical activity guidelines remains low. We examine the determinants of participation in physical activity in Canada by estimating double hurdle models of participation and time spent...

This paper examines the economics of participation in physical activity by developing a consumer choice model of participation and estimating it using data drawn from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). Both emphasize that individuals face two distinct decisions: (1) should I...

Health production models include participation in physical activity as an input. We investigate the relationship between participation in physical activity and health using a bivariate probit model. Participation is identifi ed with an exclusion restriction on a variable reflecting sense of...

This paper develops multiobjective models of hospital decision making that incorporate the internal decision process in both a for-profit and a nonprofit hospital. Predicted output and quality for a nonprofit hospital differ from those for a for-profit hospital under some conditions but converge...

We develop a monopolistic competition model of urban service consumption and production that includes spatial structure and property values. The model shows that the introduction of a new professional sports facility and team generates agglomeration effects that change the mix of services and...

Fifty years on we examine two key propositions in Neale's (1964)"Peculiar Economics": the need for competitors in sport to have opponents of similar ability in order to earn large revenues and the effect of frequent changes sports leagues' standings on consumer demand. We develop a consumer...

Professional sports teams receive large public subsidies for new facility construction. Empirical research suggests that these subsidies cannot be justified by tangible or intangible economic benefits. We develop a model of bargaining between local governments and teams over subsidies that...

The local labor market effects of new casinos are examined by comparing the employment and earnings growth in areas with new casinos to the growth in areas with existing casinos and without casinos, exploiting numerous casino openings across multiple locations in Canada over several time...

We develop a consumer choice model of live attendance at a sporting event with reference-dependent preferences. The predictions of the model motivate the “uncertainty of outcome hypothesis” (UOH) as well as fan’s desire to see upsets and to simply see the home team win games, depending on...