An Evaluation of Public

This paper presents an economic analysis of the returns to public investment in Irish sport, which has increased dramatically over the past decade. It combines figures on spending by central government and state agencies with a relatively new and rapidly expanded body of research on participation in sport. The aim is to use what has become a substantial evidence base to assess whether Irish sports policy is likely to meet its stated aims of improving health and quality of life. Empirical findings support the view that there are significant health and social benefits to be had from participation in sport. However, the analysis challenges the way current policy addresses three trade-offs in the allocation of resources: the balance between “elite ” and “grassroots ” sport; the trade-off between investment in sporting facilities (physical capital) and participation programmes (human and social capital); and the allocation of public money across the range of different sporting activities. In each case, given the stated aims of policy and the evidence base, it is difficult to justify the current position. The paper concludes that the allocation of public investment in sport needs to be updated in light of recent findings