Nothing new will be discovered if it is said that the social sciences, especially economics, base their methodological approach on the most precise sciences, that is, on mathematics. The impossibility of conducting laboratory experiments in a controlled and reproducible way, unlike what happens in the majority of natural sciences, represents a major disadvantage (or a major advantage, depending on how you look at it) that forces us (or makes it possible) to develop, in increasingly comprehensive, mathematical, statistical and economic models , makes us delve deeper into data science, where, fortunately, we still encounter many other disciplines, in an academic world that, in turn, is increasingly interdisciplinary. The natural sciences have always been closely connected with mathematics, to the point of assuming a mutual connection, which, in my view, occurs more in economics, as well as in other social sciences, where the aforementioned conditions are a reality of necessity. , virtue.
Teaching innovation in all its dimensions is useful and necessary, but in my opinion it must be well understood, managed and implemented, so that it does not become merely an excuse that displaces basic knowledge, especially in basic subjects, with science. The resulting decline in the academic level of students, despite the improvement in percentages that depend only on the quantity of success, without regard to its quality. That is why new teaching techniques should not make us waste or devalue much and the good of the past that brought us here, and some of the guiding principles that allow us to understand, develop and master the most difficult academic disciplines, and which, among other things, are very important pillars, in The culture of effort must be skillfully integrated with other, newer pillars, in order to be more efficient in shaping future guidelines.
This popular and desirable interdisciplinarity also reaches into the humanities and other related and complementary disciplines that usually fit, as a meeting point, into the social sciences, where the individual, as part of society, is at the center of everything. Math is used to find technology that improves and extends your life, to understand and organize your life plan, and even to help you decide which complex choices you should make to make your life easier. All this, and it is not a small amount, in addition to many other benefits.
This academic year, from the Department of Quantitative Economics, we proposed to mathematics students a scoring test for continuous evaluation, in which we tried to combine this culture of effort with the approach taken in the academic world, with the promotion of creativity, with immersion in other disciplines of a human nature and especially with their analytical and reflective abilities. , both of which are essential for mathematics, as well as for the development of other academic and life aspects that they will encounter throughout their career.
plural resultsbased on the new technologies available to us in the University's Virtual Campus, I confirmed that the good academic results in terms of grades were also good in terms of student satisfaction, and that this culture of effort is still necessary to achieve this for the participating students, whom I sincerely congratulate for this effort and for their resulting work. About him, they achieve their goals in a more than satisfactory way.
As part of the above-mentioned test, which is based on the selection of a newspaper article, with the aim of justifying the relationship between mathematics and economics, and above all to reflect and understand how useful mathematics is in the professional world with which, soon, they will encounter each other, it seemed important to me, and particularly appropriate, A journal article also brings together some arguments in favor of the starting hypothesis and gives some examples of the usefulness of mathematics for an economist who, as in my book and in this case, works, teaches and researches in the field of rural development, an economic field that greatly affects today's society.
Spatial econometrics and complex networks allow us to analyze and identify functional and network relationships between regionally distributed variables, in order to establish some dynamics and connections between basic network nodes that make it possible to define a socio-technological system that explains, thus, multiple aspects of the individual and collective life of citizens. Therefore, it must Those who devote themselves to trying to understand regional dynamics must take into account quantitative economics and rely on it to achieve their goal. In any case, the nature of knowledge, knowledge and science must make us assume that although their value is invaluable, people themselves will make their own decisions, made at the individual level, but part of the work. Collective, which will determine the meaning of the results, with or without mathematics, although it helps them to make said decisions, as well as the actions derived from them, more efficiently and accurately.
Intended for my students of groups 8-9-10A, of Mathematics, of Economics, Business Administration, Accounting and Finance degrees at the University of Oviedo (academic year 2023-24).
“Creator. Devoted pop culture specialist. Certified web fanatic. Unapologetic coffee lover.”