CEF's Podcast: 'Inside Events'

How can major sporting events genuinely serve the communities that need them most? In this powerful episode, Dr Mike Duignan is joined by Dr Shushu Chen to explore a question too often ignored: what do global mega-events mean for socioeconomically deprived communities—and what  should  they mean? Drawing on years of research and real-world insights from events like London 2012 and Birmingham 2022,...

London 2012 promised to be a game-changer for disability rights. But over a decade on, how much really changed? In this episode, Dr Mike Duignan is joined by Dr Verity Postlethwaite to critically examine the legacy of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. While the event broke new ground in integrating Olympic and Paralympic agendas and spotlighted elite parasport, many disabled people argue that ever...

What turns a vibrant crowd into a deadly one—and how can we stop it from happening again? In this episode, Dr Mike Duignan speaks with crowd safety expert Dr Alison Hutton to unpack some of the most devastating crowd disasters, including Astroworld and the Love Parade. Through the lens of “cooperative crowding,” Alison explores how shared responsibility, environmental design, and real-time coordin...

The Paralympics are often praised for inspiring a generation, but does watching elite athletes with disabilities actually get more people moving? In this episode, Dr Mike Duignan speaks with Dr. Chris Brown to unpack the complex realities behind this popular narrative. Drawing on a decade of research, they explore whether the demonstration and festival effects really drive participation, or whethe...

When most people think of Pride, they picture city parades, big-name sponsors, and rainbow-soaked streets. But a quieter revolution is unfolding across the rural US—from Pikeville, Kentucky to small towns in Arizona—where LGBTQ+ communities are claiming space, visibility, and belonging in powerful ways. In this episode, Dr Michael Duignan speaks with Dr Beck Banks, whose research explores the rise...

Glastonbury is famous for its iconic music, mud-soaked fields, and festival spirit—but could it also be a blueprint for surviving the climate crisis? In this episode, Dr Mike Duignan talks with climate scientist Dr Richard Betts about how major festivals like Glastonbury are becoming microcosms of our global environmental challenges. From renewable energy and green transport to heat adaptation and...