A political economy of the 2014 Fifa world cup: A decade-later study in the "growth coalition" and its erosion of the public sphere

Abstract

This thesis will examine the political economy of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, ten years into the phenomenon. It investigates the role played by FIFA, the Brazilian state and corporate capital as a “growth coalition” and its effects on the event and beyond. Using a qualitative case study methodology, the author read through the bid books, host city contracts, audit documents and NGO publications to systematically review the sum-total of promises around economic growth, social legacy and infrastructure against how those promises turned out. The fallout left the legacy of public indebtedness, “exacerbated” stadiums, infrastructure “ghosts”, social exclusion and a democratic deficit. By the "success" of this growth coalition, the author means that negative legacy effects were not a lack of implementation; they were part and parcel of the growth coalition. It is the loss of the public sphere of the host country, and negative legacies resulting from this fact must be used to enhance the public spheres for future host countries hosting mega events.