MUNICIPALITIES and the MEGA-EVENT Ph.D
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MUNICIPALITIES AND THE MEGA-EVENT Ph.D. Thesis – C. Phillips; McMaster University – Political Science MUNICIPALITIES AND THE MEGA-EVENT: A COMPARATIVE URBAN ANALYSIS By CAROL ANN PHILLIPS, B.J., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University © Copyright by Carol Ann Phillips, September 2012 i Ph.D. Thesis – C. Phillips; McMaster University – Political Science McMaster University DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (2012) Hamilton, Ontario(Political Science) TITLE: Municipalities and the Mega-Event A Comparative Analysis AUTHOR: Carol Ann Phillips B.J. (Carleton University), M.A. (Acadia University) SUPERVISOR: Professor Mark Sproule-Jones NUMBER OF PAGES: viii, 203 ii Ph.D. Thesis – C. Phillips; McMaster University – Political Science ABSTRACT Why do municipalities bid for mega-events? Simply bidding for these events, such as the Commonwealth Games, the Olympic Games or a World Expo, can run into the millions of dollars. The cost of hosting such a large-scale international event now runs into the billions of dollars. It would appear to be an economic risk, yet cities, and their respective countries, around the world continue to choose this public policy path. Using urban regime theory, and focusing on the work of Stone, Stoker and Mossberger, this research investigates the actors and their motivations surrounding the Commonwealth Games bids by Melbourne, Australia for 2006, Halifax, Nova Scotia for 2014, and Hamilton, Ontario for 1994, 2010 and 2014. Civic pride, economic development, tourism growth and infrastructure improvements are all motivating factors and a mega-event is seen as a short-cut to achieving these public policy goals. We conclude that strong cooperation between the public and private sectors is necessary, as well as comparable cooperation between the upper levels of government and the host city, for a seriously competitive bid in a Western democracy, and that the weaker the cooperation, the less resolve and likelihood there is to host an expensive event at any cost. This research not only furthers political science knowledge in the sports public policy field, but also confirms the use of urban regime theory as a useful framework in comparative urban analysis as it allows us to categorize actors and motivations as we compare across municipalities. iii Ph.D. Thesis – C. Phillips; McMaster University – Political Science To my supervisor, Prof. Mark Sproule-Jones. To my supervisory committee, Prof. Barbara Carroll, Prof. Nancy Bouchier and Prof. Henry Jacek. To the political science graduate secretary, Manuela Dozzi. To the library research assistant who helped me find the City of Hamilton’s 1985 financial report. And to my family. Thank you. And sorry for the delay. iv Ph.D. Thesis – C. Phillips; McMaster University – Political Science TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 ......................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction: The Policy Problem ................................................................................ 1 Sport and The State ..................................................................................................... 4 Sport, the State and the “Mega-Event” ......................................................................... 6 A Suggested Framework ............................................................................................ 10 Comparative Urban Analysis ..................................................................................... 12 Urban Regime Theory and the Mega-Event Strategy ................................................. 14 Contribution .............................................................................................................. 15 Summary ................................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 2 ....................................................................................................................... 18 Theories and Methodology ........................................................................................ 18 Stone, On Pluralism ................................................................................................... 23 Stone, On Political Economy ..................................................................................... 26 A Critique.................................................................................................................. 29 Stone’s Response ....................................................................................................... 32 The Theory, in Summary ........................................................................................... 33 Methodology ............................................................................................................. 35 The Commonwealth Games ....................................................................................... 40 The Case Studies ....................................................................................................... 43 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 50 Chapter 3 ....................................................................................................................... 51 Melbourne ................................................................................................................. 51 Melbourne’s Commonwealth Games Bid................................................................... 53 Melbourne’s Make-up ............................................................................................... 56 Federal Policy............................................................................................................ 59 The Bid ..................................................................................................................... 61 Post-Games Financials .............................................................................................. 74 Chapter 4 ....................................................................................................................... 76 Halifax 2005 .............................................................................................................. 76 Halifax’s 2014 Commonwealth Games Bid ............................................................... 78 Halifax Regional Municipality ................................................................................... 80 Federal Policy............................................................................................................ 85 The End of the Bid .................................................................................................... 89 The Problem with Halifax .......................................................................................... 98 Chapter 5 ..................................................................................................................... 100 Hamilton 1987, 2003, 2005 ..................................................................................... 100 The City of Hamilton ............................................................................................... 101 Federal Policy.......................................................................................................... 108 Hamilton 1987 ......................................................................................................... 113 The Bid ................................................................................................................... 116 Hamilton 2003 ......................................................................................................... 125 The International Bid ............................................................................................... 126 The End of the Bid .................................................................................................. 141 Hamilton 2005 ......................................................................................................... 142 End of the Bid ......................................................................................................... 144 v Ph.D. Thesis – C. Phillips; McMaster University – Political Science Hamilton’s Mega-Event Future................................................................................ 150 Chapter 6 ..................................................................................................................... 152 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 152 Caveats .................................................................................................................... 164 Contributions ........................................................................................................... 164 Summary ................................................................................................................. 165 References ................................................................................................................... 167 Appendix 1 .................................................................................................................. 187 Interviews ...............................................................................................................