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Information theory and municipal policy in sport: empirical evidence from an Israeli case study

2011; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 14; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/17430437.2011.530010

1743-0445

Fany Yuval,

Sports, Gender, and Society

Abstract Information theory1 1 Lohmann Lohmann, Susanne. 1998. An Information Rationale for the Power of Special Interests. American Political Science Review, 92(4): 809–27. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 'An Information Rationale', 811–12, 820. explains how leaders attain a net electoral advantage when adopting a policy that favours the interests of the knowledgeable minority at the expense of the uninformed minority, even though the consequent loss incurred by the public exceeds any advantage accrued by the interested minority. This study investigates the empirical implications of the theory through a case study in Israel. The study focuses on the disproportionately large subsidies granted by local authorities to privately owned professional sports teams (PSTs). These grants are made despite the preference of municipal residents and professional administrators for spending more on popular sports rather than professional sports. In the belief that such actions occurred due to an asymmetry in information that favoured the interested minority, we collected information about the subsidies for PSTs and made it publically available. We then documented the process by which the subsequent changes in the municipal policy developed. Acknowledgements I would to express my gratitude to the Herzliya Municipality. A special word of thanks is due to Professor Shlomo Mizrachi for his important academic contribution to the research. I would also like to thank Dr Guy Ben-Porat, Zvi Hadar and Miki Gornstein for their comments, and Tehila Brochi who assisted me in completing the research's empirical sections. Notes 1 Lohmann Lohmann, Susanne. 1998. An Information Rationale for the Power of Special Interests. American Political Science Review, 92(4): 809–27. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 'An Information Rationale', 811–12, 820. 2 Lohmann Lohmann, Susanne. 2003. 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