Issue 27, September 2020

The aim of this work is to extend the discussion about the suitability of TED Talks for teaching Public Economics. According to the literature, the TED platform offers the combination of two teaching tools widely used in high education, namely: guest speakers and ICT. Based on the literature developments about these teaching resources, this paper describes the experience put into practice in the subject Socio-Labor Policies II, a compulsory subject pertaining to the Degree in Labor Relations and Human Resources of the University of Zaragoza. The indiciary evidence obtained might support the exploitation of the TED platform as a teaching resource in Public Economics. To this end, the article concludes by exemplifying its suitability for Public Economics lectures.

In this paper, a comparison of the application of "Problem Based Learning" in two subjects corresponding to different years (Introduction to economics, Principles of Microeconomics of first year and Fiscal and Monetary Policy of the third year) is carried out. The objective of the present piece or research is to confirm or not an extended hypothesis among business and economics professors, which preferably associate the benefits and usefulness of this concrete method of active learning to its use in advanced years, thus discouraging its use in the first year of the degree or in those typically introductory subjects. The comparison is made using different vectors, such as the percentage of student participation, the outcomes, grades obtained, the assessment by the students of the active learning initiatives, in addition to different learning objectives, and the specific and transversal competences included in each subject and year. A qualitative interpretation of the implementation of the two interventions in the classroom is also carried out. In reference to the quantitative results, there is not a relevant difference between the intervention applied in the first and the one applied in third year, perhaps with the exception of the assessment of certain learning outcomes, which is lower for the first year. However, these slight differences do not allow us to prioritize the use of problem-based learning only in advanced courses, due to the scarce difference in results and the fact that in the first year the challenge of the acquisition of competences is more relevant.

This article shows, through a specific application and using the Gretl statistical software, the usefulness of a specific econometric model to evaluate the impact of public policies. The ability to analyse and to solve these problems effectively are the goal of econometric doctrine. Developing this objective, it is necessary to have the ability to interpret the results obtained and thus be able to advise economic agents and competent institutions in economic activity. Furthermore, econometric models allow us to understand and interpret the functioning of the economy through theoretical models. Specifically, in this case, the focus is placed on the quantitative evaluation of public policies proposed by economic agents. The econometrics subjects taught in the Economics and Business Administration degrees at the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences of the University of Cantabria provide the student with the basic methodological tools necessary to know how to identify and apply the appropriate methods to solve this type of problems and their applicability to real economic cases.

This review summarizes, on the occasion of the death of Professor Emilio Albi, the contents of the festschrift volume published in 2017. Based on the many and important contributions made by Emilio Albi to the study and teaching of Public Economics, this eleven chapter book ponders how the Great Recession changed the course of action of the Spanish public sector, and the problems that remained unsolved. Some of the lessons learned from that crisis may be useful to successfully manage our present crisis unleashed by COVID-19.