Does Formula-1 Grand Prix Attract Tourists?

Why would a country like Malaysia relinquish a glamorous spot in the Formula-1 Grand Prix calendar? Doesn't this popular sport attract tourists? Previous research has examined the impact of large sporting events like the Olympics and the football World Cup on tourism inflows, but research on whether international sporting events held annually in the same city/country also attract significant number of tourists is limited. In this article we examine the above questions empirically and find that the hosting of a Formula-1 event indeed attracts tourists, an increase of about 6%, on average. We also find that street races, on the margin, attract more tourists. Our findings call policy makers to be absolutely certain before they give up their spot in the F1 calendar.

On the Policy Reflex in Canadian Communication Studies

ABSTRACT This commentary notes the existence of a “policy reflex” in Canadian communication studies. The author suggests that many scholars engage in issues having to do with policy even if “policy analysis” is not the goal of scholarship. This tendency is in part due to a limited understanding of policy or a tendency among some scholars to see their work as “critical” over other possible characterizations. In many cases a turn to policy has a symbolic function, marking absence rather than presence. In a research field characterized by major gaps in research and in the face of convoluted or missing data, what we call “policy analysis” often emerges largely by default. The article discusses consequences of this reflex on policy scholarship and public discourses of culture.RÉSUMÉ Ce commentaire note l’existence d’un certain « réflexe politique » dans les études en communication au Canada. En effet, l’auteur observe que plusieurs savants traitent de politiques presque malgré eux, dans des circonstances où « l’analyse de politiques » n’est pas le but de leurs recherches. On peut attribuer cette tendance à une compréhension limitée des politiques or encore à la tentation parmi certains savants de percevoir leurs recherches comme étant « critiques » plutôt qu’autre chose. Dans plusieurs de ces cas, l’étude de politiques a une fonction symbolique, marquée par l’absence plutôt que la présence. Ainsi, dans un domaine comportant de grandes lacunes et des données confuses ou manquantes, ce qu’on appelle « l’analyse de politiques » survient souvent par défaut. Cet article discute des conséquences de ce réflexe par rapport à la recherche en politiques et aux discours publics sur la culture.