Open Access
The effects of the red cards in knockout competitions: an analysis of the Uefa Europa League
(Universitat de València, 2019) Lera López, Fernando; Zambom Ferraresi, Fabíola; Burguete, David; Economía; Ekonomia
Este estudio analiza la influencia de las tarjetas rojas en la UEFA Europa League. Esta competición tiene un formato diferente a las ligas regulares, con un número relativamente pequeño de partidos y una alta incertidumbre de resultado. Por esta razón, se supone que jugar parte del partido en inferioridad numérica debido a las tarjetas rojas podría afectar el rendimiento de los equipos. Además, se estudia el posible cambio en la tendencia del juego para ambos equipos. Hemos considerado cinco temporadas, donde sucedieron 200 expulsiones. Hemos analizado la relación de las tarjetas rojas con seis variables: faltas, tarjetas amarillas, córneres, remates a portería, posesión del balón, y diferencia de goles. Los resultados muestran que las tarjetas rojas cambian las tácticas deportivas desarrolladas por los equipos, con un aumento de las acciones ofensivas y de la posesión de balón para los equipos con superioridad numérica. Los resultados pueden tener implicaciones significativas para los entrenadores deportivos en términos de tácticas y estrategias.
Open Access
Measuring the economic impact of covid-19 on the uk’s leisure and sport during the 2020 lockdown
(MDPI, 2021) Kokolakakis, Themis; Lera López, Fernando; Ramchandani, Girish; Economía; Ekonomia
This research evaluates the effect of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic on sport Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and consumer expenditure in the leisure sector in the United Kingdom (UK). The leisure sector is divided into leisure at home and away from home, examining in this way the dif-ferent patterns that emerged because of the national lockdown in 2020. The effect on sport GDP is examined using the Office for National Statistics (ONS) surveys and the UK Sport Satellite Account (SSA). The study found that, because of its reliance on human contact, sport GDP is likely to decline by more than twice the rate of the overall economy. Furthermore, this finding is consistent with the 2020 consumer expenditure on leisure that shows increases in spending on home leisure but also a huge decline in spending on out-of-home entertainment. The decline in GDP is extremely likely to put pressure on profit margins and hence threaten the survival of private enterprises, raising issues of sustainability under conditions of a pandemic. Increases in long-term public funding for reducing sport inequalities should be considered along with short-term relief packages for the sport sector. Additional policy suggestions are offered to address these issues.
Open Access
Determinants of Internet use in Spain
(Taylor & Francis, 2011) Lera López, Fernando; Billón Currás, Margarita; Gil, Maria H.; Economía; Ekonomia
This paper analyzes the impact of a variety of socioeconomic, demographic and regional factors to explain Internet use and the frequency of use by individuals in Spain. We have employed binomial and ordered probit models with a Heckman´s two-stage estimation procedure. This allows us to distinguish between different variables and explain both use and the intensity of use, respectively. Internet use is mainly associated with education, age, occupation, employment in service sector, nationality, urban areas and regional GDP per capita. In contrast, frequency of Internet usage is positively related to broadband connection, education, the ways through which Internet skills are acquired, gender, and population size. Knowledge of differences in the determinants of Internet use and its extent of use may help to specify the most suitable policies for each case your abstract
Open Access
Bordering dynamics in sports among Spanish and French border regions
(Taylor & Francis, 2024-10-17) Lera López, Fernando; Rapún Gárate, Manuel; Economía; Ekonomia; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
The role that sports play in cross-border cooperation still remains unclear and under-researched. This paper aims to address this gap by conducting a qualitative study on the impact of basketball and hiking/mountaineering on cross-border cooperation in the New Aquitaine, Basque Country, and Navarre (NAEN) Euroregion. The research identified some significant barriers to enhancing cross-border sports cooperation, primarily associated with regional and national sports legislation and structure. However, the evidence also revealed a lack of information among sports agents regarding opportunities for cross-border sports participation. Also, we present some differences in terms of border cooperation for each sport analyzed. Some policy implications are suggested to increase cross-border cooperation in sports, focusing on creating networks for shared information and establishing clear roles and responsibilities among sports agents to enhance cooperation. These changes should precede the development of targeted logistical and financial support for sports activities in these border regions.
Open Access
Does regional disadvantage affect health-related sport and physical activity level? A multi-level analysis of individual behaviour
(Routledge, 2017) Wicker, Pamela; Downward, Paul; Lera López, Fernando; Economía; Ekonomia
This study examines the role of regional government quality in health-related participation in sport and physical activity among adults (18–64 years) in 28 European countries. The importance of the analysis rests in the relative autonomy that regional and local governments have over policy decisions connected with sport and physical activity. While existing studies have focussed on economic and infrastructural investment and expenditure, this research investigates the quality of regional governments across 208 regions within 28 European countries. The individual-level data stem from the 2013 Eurobarometer 80.2 (n = 18,675) and were combined with regional-level data from Eurostat. An individual's level of participation in sport and physical activity was measured by three variables reflecting whether an individual's activity level is below, meets, or exceeds the recommendations of the World Health Organization. The results of multi-level analyses reveal that regional government quality has a significant and positive association with individual participation in sport and physical activity at a level meeting or exceeding the guidelines. The impact is much larger than that of regional gross domestic product per capita, indicating that regional disadvantage in terms of political quality is more relevant than being disadvantaged in terms of economic wealth.
Open Access
The debate surrounding the new economy: an approach for an analysis
(2001) Billón Currás, Margarita; Hernández Nanclares, Nuria; Lera López, Fernando; Economía; Ekonomia
The current debate over the possible existence of a 'new economy' calls for an interpretation and analysis of the phenomenon from various points of view. Thus, the first part of the article contains a description of some of its main characteristics viewed both from the microeconomic and macroeconomic perspective. The fundamental role of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is highlighted in both cases. The second part of the article discusses the major problems involved in measuring this phenomenon and the available data relating to it. This gives an indication not only of the importance of 'the new economy' but also of the difficulties involved in estimating its dimensions.
Open Access
Public policies and sport participation in Spain and Portugal
(Routledge, 2023) Gómez Gómez-Plana, Antonio; Lera López, Fernando; Maia, António de Araújo Barros; Economía; Ekonomia; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE
This chapter examines the transformation and evolution of sports participation that has occurred in Spain and Portugal during the last years and the relevance of the public policies in explaining this evolution. The main areas covered in this chapter include an analysis of the evolution of sports participation in both countries, considering potential similarities. It also discusses the public policies developed in sport by policymakers in both countries and the main laws that regulate this activity. It also examines the distribution of public expenditure in sports within the main levels of public administration in Spain and Portugal. The chapter finishes with a comparison of sports participation and sport public policies developed in both countries.
Open Access
Are football managers as efficient as coaches? Performance analysis with ex ante and ex post inputs in the Premier league
(Routledge, 2019) Zambom Ferraresi, Fabíola; Iraizoz Apezteguia, Belén; Lera López, Fernando; Ekonomia; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Economía; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
There is a controversy on sport performance literature about what type of inputs might explain more deeply the performance of sports clubs (inputs specification controversy). By one side, several papers have analysed sports teams' performance using the match-related statistics or wages as inputs, well-known as ex post inputs. By other side, some authors have criticized the use of these ex post inputs, and recommend the use of ex ante inputs, as the market value of the players. We have analysed the performance of football teams estimating technical efficiency with three different inputs specification. The methodologies employed were data envelopment analysis (DEA) and a bootstrapped DEA. Our sample is composed by English Premier League football clubs, during three seasons (2012/13-2014/15). The DEA results indicate that the correlation between the three models is positive and significant. The DEA-bootstrapped results help to restate the robustness of the estimations and endorsed the inputs choices. The correlations of the estimations with market value and match-related statistics are the most striking (90% and 94%, DEA and bootstrapped DEA), which indicate that the existent discussion related to the use of match-related statistics as input is unjustified, because it does not affect significantly the efficiency estimations.
Open Access
Physical activity disparities across Europe: clustering European regions by health-related physical activity levels
(Oxford University Press, 2022) Lera López, Fernando; Marco, Rocío; Economía; Ekonomia
In the context of stagnating global levels of physical activity (PA), this study examines the geographical segmentation of PA at the regional level (196 regions) in Europe. Cluster analysis and multinomial logistic regression are applied. Cluster analysis provides a taxonomy of four differentiated groups according to the health-related PA levels of the European regions. This taxonomy shows that there are significant regional disparities among European countries in terms of the regional PA level. The cluster profiles in terms of regional socioeconomic characteristics are described for each group, emphasizing the regional characteristics associated with PA. Regional economic variables, tertiary education and social Internet use are significant variables for characterizing the types of regions. The results emphasize the relevance of a European regional approach for reducing inter-regional PA disparities and improving health through PA in Europe. Practical implications of this research are based on regional European coordination, such as collaborative models of sport infrastructure use, co-financing of inter-regional facilities, mutual physical educational scholar programs and promotion of common inter-regional sport competitions and sporting events. Finally, formal schemes for exchanging of best regional practices to promote health-enhancing PA might increase the perception and the role of PA at the regional level in the European society.
Open Access
How the relationship between physical activity and health changes with age
(Springer, 2018-03-28) Lera López, Fernando; Ollo López, Andrea; Garrués Irisarri, Mirian; Cabasés Hita, Juan Manuel; Sánchez Iriso, Eduardo; Economía; Ekonomia; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
In the context of age-related declines in physical activity (PA) and the dramatic increase in ageing populations in many countries, this paper sheds further light on the link between PA and self-perceived health (SPH) by examining whether the magnitude of this relationship is age specific. With a sample of 14,456 Spanish individuals aged 18–69, we estimated three levels of intensity in PA using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Individuals who did more PA per week showed higher levels of SPH (β = 0.28; 95% CI 0.24–0.32), and age moderated this relationship, with a positive effect over age 49. People aged 50–59 and 60–69 who practiced PA had higher probabilities of better SPH compared with those aged 40–49 (β = 0.14; 95% CI 0.04–0.24) and (β = 0.32; 95% CI 0.21–0.43), respectively. This association between PA and SPH also depended on the intensity of PA, especially for walking (β = 0.14; 95% CI 0.04–0.24). In particular, in comparison with people age 40–49, a statistically significant relationship with SPH was found among people age 50–59 who walked (β = 0.22; 95% CI 0.07–0.36) and people age 60–69 who did moderate PA (β = 0.38; 95% CI 0.23–0.54). This paper provides a major rationale for the design, organisation and implementation of public policies promoting PA and healthy ageing for different age groups.