Public attitudes towards no-vote stadium subsidies: the development and validation of an ex post proxy referendum. Issue 3 (3rd July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kellison, Timothy B.; Kim, Yukyoum
• Is Part Of: International journal of sport policy. Volume 9:Issue 3(2017)
• Page Start: 469
• Page End: 489
• Publication Date: 2017-07-03
• Subjects: Public policy -- political science -- public subsidies -- public sport facilities -- scale development; Sports and state -- Periodicals; Sports and state -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Sports -- Political aspects -- Periodicals; Sports administration -- Periodicals; Sports administration; Sports and state; Sports -- Political aspects; Great Britain; Periodicals; 353.7805
• DOI: 10.1080/19406940.2016.1247106
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1940-6959

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In most cases, professional sport stadiums are financed through a mix of public and private investment. The amount of public subsidy allocated for a stadium can vary greatly by project, as can the role of citizens in deciding such matters. With respect to public-stadium financing, research has focused chiefly on citizen participation through direct democracy (e.g. referendums and initiatives). However, the vast majority of stadium projects across North American professional sport receive public financing without any form of citizen vote. Cases of the so-called no-vote subsidy may be problematic to citizens, especially if public policy does not correspond to the public will, a fundamental principle of a democratic system of governance. Given the lack of research in this area, the purpose of this study was to develop a scale that measured citizens' attitudes towards and consequences of a no-vote stadium subsidy. In this article, we introduce the Proxy Referendum on Public Stadium Appropriation (PROPSA), a 26-item instrument designed to measure 7 constructs: support of financing plan, perceived stadium impact, trust in civically paternalistic leadership, team attendance intentions, congruence with democratic norms, political apathy, and voting intentions. Three associated propositions are introduced, and the scale is tested using a sample of 401 voters registered in a county impacted by a recent no-vote subsidy. In the absence of a public vote, the PROPSA provides a tool for ascertaining the impact of the public will.