Mega-events and sectoral employment: The case of the 1996 Olympic Games

Arbeitspapier

This paper contributes to the analysis of large sporting events using highly disaggregated data. We use the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, which are also outstanding as one of the very few large sporting events where ex post academic analysis found significant positive effects. This paper extends earlier studies in several ways. First, monthly rather than quarterly data will be employed. Second, the impact of the 1996 Olympics will be analyzed for 16 different sectors or subsectors. Third, in addition to standard DD models, we use a non-parametric approach to flexibly isolate employment effects. Regarding the Olympic effect, hardly any evidence for a persistent shift in the aftermath of or the preparation for the Olympic Games is supported. We find a significant positive employment effect in the monthly employment statistics exclusively during the staging of the Olympic Games (July 1996). These short-term effects are concentrated in the sectors of 'retail trade', 'accommodation and food services', and 'arts, entertainment, and recreation', while other sectors showed no such effects.

Object Details

• ISBN: 978-3-940369-85-7
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Hamburg Contemporary Economic Discussions ; No. 35

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; National Government Expenditures and Related Policies: Infrastructures; Other Public Investment and Capital Stock ; Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity ; Sports; Gambling; Restaurants; Recreation; Tourism
• Subject: Olympic Games ; Economic Impact ; Ex-post Analysis ; Employment ; Sectoral Data

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Feddersen, Arne ; Maennig, Wolfgang
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): University of Hamburg, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, Chair for Economic Policy
• (where): Hamburg
• (when): 2010

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/42229
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:45 AM CET