| Abstract: |
A growing literature has examined what characteristics lead countries to
succeed or fail in international soccer. We build on this literature by
building a model of national success, where success is measured by the number
of “FIFA points” a national team earned. We use the model to generate testable
hypotheses regarding the impact of a nation’s political heritage and
institutions on its soccer performance. Using OLS and Poisson regressions, we
corroborate previous studies and find that success increases with income,
population, and having hosted a World Cup competition. We also find that a
country’s political institutions and colonial heritage affect its soccer
performance. In particular, being a wealthy democracy adds greatly to soccer
performance. We also find that the success of a country’s club teams is a good
predictor of the national team’s success. We conclude that club success
reflects a nation’s willingness and ability to finance soccer success. |