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The impact of sporting events on local economies and their spatial distribution is a topic of active policy debate. This study adds to the discussion by examining granular cellphone location data to assess the spillover effects of Major League Baseball (MLB) games in a major US city. Focusing on the 2019 season, we explore granular geospatial patterns in mobility and consumer spending on game days versus non-game days in the Saint Louis region. Through density-based clustering and hotspot analysis, we uncover distinct spatiotemporal signatures and variations in visitor affluence across different teams. This study uses features like game day characteristics, location data (latitude and longitude), business types, and spending data. A significant finding is that specific spatial clusters of economic activity are formed around the stadium, particularly on game days, with multiple clusters identified. These clusters reveal a marked increase in spending at businesses such as restaurants, bars, and liquor stores, with revenue surges of up to 38% in certain areas. We identified a significant change in spending patterns in the local economy during games, with results varying greatly across teams. Notably, the XGBoost model performs best, achieving a test R2 of 0.80. The framework presented enhances the literature at the intersection of urban economics, sports analytics, and spatial modeling while providing data-driven actionable insights for businesses and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview for the special issue and a framework for thinking about the included papers. We begin by explaining why teacher pensions is a topic that should be of interest to the broader education research community and not just specialists in school finance or teacher compensation. Pension costs now account for 11% of K–12 operating expenditures—a share that has been steadily rising. The question for the education research community is whether these expenditures represent the best way to recruit, retain, and motivate high-quality teachers. We briefly review the current pension landscape with an explanation of how these plans work, trends in costs and expenditures, and changes that have been discussed or implemented. We then provide a brief literature review. Finally, we discuss how the articles in this special issue contribute to the literature on such topics as the influence of teacher pension policies on school staffing and workforce quality, teacher preferences for retirement plans, and the sustainability of plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many states enhanced benefits in teacher retirement plans during the 1990s. This paper examines the school staffing effects of one such enhancement in a major urban school district with mostly high poverty schools. Pension rule changes in 1999 for St. Louis public school teachers resulted in large increases in pension wealth for active teachers, as well as a powerful increase in 'push' incentives for earlier retirement. Simple descriptive statistics on retirement patterns before and after the enhancements suggest much earlier retirement resulted. Shorter teaching spells imply a steady state with more teacher turnover and a larger share of novice teachers in classrooms. To better understand the long-run effects of these changes and alternative policies, the authors estimate a structural model of teacher retirement. Simulations of retirement behavior for representative senior teachers point to shorter completed teaching spells and earlier retirement age as a result of the enhancements. By contrast, moving from the post-1999 to a DC-type plan would extend the teaching career of a representative senior teacher by roughly two years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]