Edward Elgar Publishing The Economics of Sport, Health and Happiness: The Promotion of Well-being through Sporting Activities (New Horizons in the Economics of Sport series)

Including an array of distinguished contributors, this novel book fills a gap in the literature by addressing an important yet under researched issue in the field of sports economics. It places great emphasis on the notion that sport is a significant component for improving the happiness, health and well-being of citizens, communities and society as a whole. In so doing, it addresses whether, in an environment of increasing pressure on public spending, governments should continue to subsidise sporting activities at the expense of other public resources. Written in a clear and accessible style, this pioneering book explores a number of specific issues including:-the relationship between sport and happiness-the effect of sport on health, including the capacity of sport and exercise to reduce spending on medical expenses-the relationship between sport and productivity-whether sport as a leisure activity can improve quality of life. Innovative and original, this volume will strongly appeal to students and researchers of sport, health and welfare economics. Contributors include: C. Breuer, C. Cabane, M. Davis, P. Downward, C. End, D. Forrest, J. Garcia Villar, H. Huang, B. Humphreys, G. Kavetsos, M. Lechner, J. Leyva, I. McHale, S. Oreffice, T. Pawlowski, J. Price, C. Quintana-Domeque, S. Rasciute, J. Ruseski, N. Sari, D.H. Simon Review ‘The reading of the book is stimulating and equally informative; engaging in sport activities appear to really matter for overall labour productivity market outcomes and the readers are told, individual life satisfaction is reportedly three times higher when participating in physical activity than happiness associated with employment. . . highly innovative and insightful, having the merit of filling a gap in the literature of the, yet under-researched, field of sports economics.’ -- Constantin Oprean, Management of Sustainable Development About the Author Edited by Plácido Rodríguez, University of Oviedo, Spain, Stefan Késenne, University of Antwerp and KU Leuven, Belgium and Brad R. Humphreys, Department of Economics, West Virginia University, US