Interpreting public statistics with members of social organizations: the experience of an university extension project

This paper narrates experiences of an university extension project carried out during 2019 and aimed at building knowledge about the use of public statistics on the social issue, together with social organizations and political groups in the City of La Plata. The objective of the project was focused on visibilizing the state agencies producing statistical information, providing tools to interpret the information disseminated by these organizations, and analyzing the situation of the labor market, poverty and income distribution in Greater La Plata in recent years, together with the organizations and groups participating in the project. The experience had a special meaning as it brought together university teachers, state agents, social organizations and political groups within the framework of a university extension project, while also mooting a discussion on the social effects of the main socioeconomic policies implemented by the government of Cambiemos.