What do the social sciences have in common with baseball? The story of Moneyball, academic impact, and quantitative methods

Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt, premiered recently in Britain and though not apparent from the title, the film helps clarify some of the most pressing debates in political science, especially the hot-topic of the ‘impact’ of social science. Eric Kaufmann discusses how the story of a US baseball coach who utilised the human sciences to create a winning dynasty highlights the real, measurable forms of knowledge that social sciences can produce.