Dr. Matt Harvey explores whether increased monitoring affects behavior using the context of VAR in EPL matches. By looking at disciplinary decisions before and after the use of VAR his research is able to determine whether the increased monitoring affected overall fouls and cards. They find the overall count of yellow cards decreases slightly, though fouls slightly increase. The latter may be driven by a racial disparity in referees citing individuals for fouls. 

Dr. Harvey is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Washington Tacoma. Dr. Harvey’s area of expertise is Public Economics with a particular focus on crime, policing, and racial disparities. He is also an avid soccer fan and supporter of Manchester United.