As the FIFA World Cup 2022 gets into full swing in Qatar,
the December issue of Significance sheds statistical light on events on and off the pitch. We dig into the data behind penalty shootouts and red cards, as well as the numbers behind worker deaths in the country whose human rights record has been so widely criticised. Fear not, football-phobics – this issue also investigates the role of machine learning in protecting vulnerable children, explains how stats can prevent blackouts, and celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Statistical Society of Australia, with profiles of four inspiring members past and present.
December issue highlights include:
Penalty shootouts
How should managers choose which players take penalties? James Jackson analyses England’s painful defeat against Italy in the 2020 Euros. Could a more statistically rigorous approach to picking penalty takers have led to a different result?
Football’s “red card myth”
Football fans, pundits and even managers have long debated whether having a player sent off can actually make a team stronger. Matthew Dowsett takes a Neymaresque dive into the data
Human rights in Qatar
The human cost of the FIFA World Cup 2022 troubles human rights groups and football fans alike. However, measuring it is extremely difficult due to elusive, vague and misleading data sources on worker deaths, as Megan Price explains
Children’s social care and machine learning
The idea that machine learning can improve children’s social care is attractive, but fraught with challenges – the veil of secrecy
around predictive analytics in public services must be lifted, say Michael Sanders and Vicky Clayton
Energy forecasting – part one
We only notice our reliance on energy when our supply is disrupted. Amanda Lenzi and Mihai Anitescu answer six key questions on the role of statistics in energy
The SSA is 60!
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the SSA, with profiles of four members past and present
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www.significancemagazine.com.