Gayle McPherson

My interests revolve around the public policy interventions of the local and national state in events and festivity of all types and the social and cultural impact of events and culture on communities. I am also interested in the role of art, sport and culture in creating soft power change through cultural diplomacy, both through state and non-state actors. 

I am currently a co-investigator on an SSHRC international collaborative research project Leveraging Parasport Events: for sustainable community participation. This has produced a series of outputs in public policy, impact and media analysis of parasports representations.  I am currently the Principal Investigator on a British Council project examining evidence for art and culture's role in cultural diplomacy. I am also acting as an expert advisor to the OECD on their draft recommendation on Global Events and Local Development for member countries

Research areas: GV recreation Leisure - mega events, cultural policy, cultural diplomacy, sport, disability, digital media

My future research will continue to focus of the social and cultural impact of mega events on communities and on their role in leveraging wider impact. I will develop further how mega events contribute to creating public value and how these can or are being used for progressive opportunity. I will continue my work in cultural diplomacy and I am interested in looking at cities who failed to win City of Culture titles and what they do next.

I have expertise and experience of monitoring, evaluation and impact of arts, culture and sport and have worked for a range of agencies. Recently these have included: Creative Scotland, British Council, Renfrewshire Council and the OECD. I have expertise in events, sport and cultural policy impact evaluation and transformational change.