| Abstract [eng] |
One example of misallocation of investments in Lithuania is the State Capital Investment Programme. It allocates around €1-1.5 billion annually, mostly for infrastructure projects. Multi-purpose sports centers (arenas, swimming pools, sports fields) are one example of the irrational use of investments. More than 100 of them are already in operation in Lithuania in 2022, although some of them are located within a very short distance from each other. Investments in multi-purpose sports centres since the creation of the Public Investment Programme from 2000 to 2016 totaled €111 million (€169 million more was needed to complete the facilities). Once multifunctional sports centres have been built, municipalities have to allocate their own funds for the maintenance of these facilities, even if they do not have significant demand. According to the findings of the National Audit Office, the investment allocation of State Capital Investment Programme is not transparent, lacking clear priorities and possibly allowing members of the Parliament to influence decisions. This thesis applies the theory of public policy bubbles to identify the key factors that motivate politicians to take non-rational and uncalculated decisions regarding investments in multi-purpose sports infrastructure. To identify the conditions favoring the financing of public policy bubbles, the ‘pork-barrel’ politics theoretical explanation is used to assess the influence of government representatives on the allocation of centrally managed investments. Four case studies (Prienai, Varėna, Radviliškis and Jonava) selected for analysis describe the history of the construction of the four sports infrastructure facilities, the motives for initiating the projects, the challenges encountered, and the burden on municipal budgets caused by maintaining the facilities. The case studies are complemented by an analysis of the political influence on investment allocation, which separately assesses the influence of mayors and members of the Parliament, who were part of the ruling coalition in the Parliament, on investment allocation decisions. It was found that poor oversight of the allocation of funds under the State Capital Investment Programme, lack of clear priorities and non-compliance with objective application criteria created the essential conditions for the creation of a public policy bubble. The content of the public policy bubble depended on the most significant sporting achievements and events in Lithuania. Between 2008 and 2011, a number of arena construction projects were developed and launched in connection with the hosting of the 2011 European Men's Basketball Championship in Lithuania. After 2012 a boom in pool construction has begun, which has not stopped so far. In such circumstances, the first impetus was usually given by the heads of the municipal administration, who relied on the typical actions of public policy bubbles – they initiated construction under strong pressure from residents, created narratives convinced of their noble mission (e. g. the construction of a public pool was a dream of politician), copied examples of other municipalities and sought prestige. These initiatives were often accompanied by unjustified, hastily drawn up projects without clear sources of funding and other factors that have ultimately led to the significant financial burden that many municipalities are currently facing. This work has expanded the scope of public policy bubbles both horizontally and vertically. The range of objects to be analyzed has been broadened to include the analysis of the development of (sports) infrastructure. While the theoretical approach has so far only been applied to the centralized concept of decision-making, this work has also included the local level, from which the impetus for policy decisions comes. The work provides recommendations for decision-makers to ensure a more transparent allocation of investments and better use of infrastructure. |
