Evaluation of Public Economics issues through the methodology ApS

The Service-Learning (ApS) is a methodology whose implementation in higher education requires linking learning academic content, skills and civic values with community service. This method also allows students to multiply their knowledge and provide personal and social meaning to the learning experience. One of the best ways to achieve such a connection is to involve the students in these activities. Our study was conducted among students of 1st course of Economics and Business Administration in the subject Principles of Macroeconomics at the Faculty of Economics and Business in the University of A Coruña (Spain). The task of these students ApS is the production and public display of socio-economic analysis of public sector intervention in economic activity, related to problems of their immediate environment (immigration, labor market, fiscal policy, etc.). These activities are aimed at different groups and have been conducted in various institutions; from schools or vocational middle grades to NGOs and similar organizations. This study examines how this practice is received from all participants, their motivations, difficulties and obstacles and dialogues that start with the rest of the activities and functions that undergraduates are queried. The findings provide insights on how to understand and improve self-learning processes of students; the connection between theory and practical experience; whether to help other students who problematize their experience and, finally, to develop personal skills in real situations as improving teamwork, public exposure or critical view; essential for the professional future of university issues. The ultimate goal is to reveal the importance of the role and social commitment of the university to university volunteer projects that articulate curriculum to addressing a particular problem encountered in society, particularly in areas of social vulnerability.