The International Association of Sports Economists (IASE) is the pioneering scientific society in the field of sports economics. IASE was established in July 1999 in Limoges (France) on the initiative of the Centre for Law and Economics in Sport (Centre de Droit et d’Economie du Sport, CDES). Right from the start, the profile and focus of IASE was developed across the triangle of economic pluralism, theory-practice dialogue, and universal scope.  The current IASE holds international conferences in sports economics and sponsors periodic seminars. The conferences bring together and extend the reach of researchers in all areas of sports economics, whereas seminars and workshops aim to stimulate research and debate on challenging topics in sport policy.

 

IASE has engaged a number of milestones in the development of international sports economics. The Association hosted the first international conferences in sports economics starting in 1999 in Limoges, and followed immediately by conferences in Lisbon, Portugal (2000), Malaga, Spain (2001), and New York, USA (2002). In recent years the Association has hosted the first sports economics conferences in Africa (Stellenbosch, 2009) and South America (Rio de Janeiro, 2014). IASE, now more than ever, focuses on expanding the field worldwide. Today, IASE counts over 100 members from more than 20 countries.

 

The Association has been instrumental in providing outlets for published research in sports economics. It helped launch the Journal of Sports Economics in 2000 and served as the first official partner. IASE supported the publication of the influential reference volume “Handbook on the Economics of Sport” in 2006. Additionally an open working paper series was created also in 2006. The Association spurred the creation of continental scientific societies in North America (NAASE, 2007) and Europe (ESEA, 2010). Currently, IASE endeavors to establish a new journal on sport governance with the objective of fostering the exchange of ideas between disciplines as well as between academics and sports decision-makers.