Issue 30, February 2022

The aim of this work is to discuss the potentialities that might stem from the use of scientific-informative papers in Economics as pedagogical resource for teaching topics in Public Economics for undergraduate students. The discussion of scientific papers is a worldwide (and best practice) teaching methodology in postgraduate studies in Economics, which is gradually accepted as teaching resource at the undergraduate level in Spain. The proposal is based on the results achieved by the experience carried out in the subject Economic Structure of Spain, an optional subject pertaining to the fourth year in the Degree in Labor Relations and Human Resources of the University of Zaragoza, for whose teaching Papeles de Economía Española was used as theoretical resource. Based on the results achieved, the complimentary use of scientific-informative papers for teaching topics in Public Economics seems to be a sensible proposal.

The current university syllabuses in Economics are the result of the evolution of the subject itself and of historical and institutional factors that have conditioned its configuration. In the particular case of Spain, they are characterized, among other elements, by the recognition of Macroeconomics and Economic Policy as separate subjects. However, an analysis of its content shows that Macroeconomics incorporates topics on economic policy instruments, and Economic Policy uses theoretical frameworks that are common in Macroeconomics. The problem is compounded by the frequent use of Macroeconomics manuals that are designed for educational systems in which Economic Policy is not taught independently. In these conditions it is pertinent to ask whether it is convenient to keep both subjects separate in the syllabuses. This paper provides evidence to articulate an answer.

Teaching in the field of economics and business faces significant challenges as external entities increasingly call for graduates with the ability to solve different problems from a practical perspective. With this serving as context, the objective of this work is to evaluate the innovative methodologies implemented in the field of business taxation; specifically, that of problem-based learning. This teaching methodology consists of using the actual economic-financial information that is used by external entities to settle this tax figure and as such places students in a similar situation to that in which they are going to find themselves working in the future. The results obtained through the use of statistical inferential techniques, applied to a sample of students divided into two groups determine that, in addition to acquiring a practical view of a problem, there are significant differences in student academic performance depending on the teaching methodology used. As such, the results from this work are to be added to (although still scarce in frequency) the other effective problem-based learning methodologies that have been implemented in the field of economics in the Spanish university system. The objective of such is to show that a problem-based learning methodology can be successfully implemented in the teaching of public economics.

The book "Introduction to Computational Macroeconomics" (2019 Vernon Press), by Bongers, Gomez, and Torres, is an outstanding valuable tool with a notable contribution to the field of teaching macroeconomics at the undergraduate level. It presents a set of basic dynamic models, both micro-founded and non-micro-founded, and their detailed resolution through the EXCEL spreadsheet. Clearly, it is a significant improvement over existing materials on the market for teachers who want to provide their undergraduate students with the basics of solving dynamic general equilibrium models.