A Study on the Policy Evolution of Public Athletic Facilities: Focusing on the Construction Case of the Southwestern Baseball Stadium through the Modified Multiple Streams Framework

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the policy-making process for the Gocheok Sky Dome, the nation’s first domed baseball stadium in the southwestern region of Seoul. For this, the study adopts a theoretical framework that integrates Kingdon’s multiple streams framework and the path evolution model based on historical institutionalism. We found that, as highlighted in the previous domestic and international studies, the political stream and policy entrepreneurs have greatly influenced the policy-making process for the construction of the baseball stadium. Moreover, there was a significant policy change from the half-dome amateur baseball stadium to a fully domed professional one throughout the policy-making process, which might be regarded as a case of ‘conversion’ as a mode of institutional change. This study will contribute to extending the purview of the original multiple streams framework by revealing the mechanism of institutional change that has been little studied in previous research on public sports facilities. It can also provide a point of comparison for future research on the construction of public sports facilities by local governments.