Crhistian Joel Gonzalez Cuatianquis (p)

Claudio Detotto

Aspirations, shaped by individual experiences and social interactions, are crucial in influencing educational outcomes and perpetuating socioeconomic inequalities. Despite extensive research on the link between socioeconomic conditions and aspirations, the Italian context remains underexplored. Italy’s low share of tertiary-educated 25-34-year-olds (25% compared to the OECD average of 50% in 2021) and stark territorial disparities—particularly in left-behind areas—offer a unique opportunity to investigate these dynamics.
This study explores whether local socioeconomic conditions and trends influence the educational aspirations of young Italians, with a specific focus on disadvantaged and left-behind territories. Using a quantitative approach, the analysis combines individual-level data from INVALSI—10th Grade Mathematics and Italian exam results and accompanying student questionnaires—with complementary socioeconomic and demographic indicators from ISTAT, Eurostat, and the OECD. Statistical techniques such as multilevel modelling and regression analysis are employed to control for students' socioeconomic backgrounds and abilities while identifying their geographic locations. These methods enable examining how spatial and contextual factors shape aspirations, particularly in areas marked by economic stagnation and limited opportunities.
The findings highlight how local socioeconomic conditions in left-behind places act as barriers or enablers of educational aspirations, potentially reinforcing development traps and territorial inequalities. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers seeking to address Italy’s territorial disparities, reduce educational gaps, and promote inclusive development strategies, especially in regions most at risk of being left further behind.

Bianca Biagi, Claudio Detotto (p), Manuela Pulina

Ivan Etzo

This study examines the determinants of students’ intentions to remain in their university’s province after graduation and to pursue entrepreneurship, using an unbalanced panel of 77 Italian universities over the period 2016-2023. Based on data from Almalaurea, we analyze (i) the student retention intention rate, i.e., the proportion of Master’s graduates who express willingness to stay in the same province, and (ii) the student entrepreneurial intention rate, i.e., the share of graduates who intend to become entrepreneurs or self-employed workers. These indicators provide valuable insights for regional policymakers, as they reflect the perceived attractiveness of local areas and students’ entrepreneurial aspirations. Our econometric analysis considers both environmental factors (e.g., regional GDP, unemployment rate) and university-specific characteristics (e.g., teaching quality, service quality, training availability). Furthermore, we explore differences across academic disciplines. The findings contribute to the discussion on higher education policies and regional development strategies by highlighting the role of universities and local economic conditions in shaping students’ post-graduation intentions.

Ivan Etzo (p), Laura Ciucci, Stefano Usai

Crhistian Joel Gonzalez Cuatianquis

Recognized as key drivers of regional economic development and innovation performance, universities operate through two primary channels: the generation of highly qualified human capital and the creation and dissemination of knowledge. This paper aims to enhance our comprehension of universities' regional influence from a relatively unexplored perspective: the impact of university activities on regional total factor productivity (TFP). To this end, the paper builds on the groundwork laid by Marrocu et al. (2022a), which established a framework for measuring universities' effects on TFP across European regions. This ongoing research endeavours to expand upon the initial study by placing significant emphasis on the knowledge generation and transfer initiatives undertaken by universities. The study assesses the impact of universities on total factor productivity across 220 European NUTS 2 regions from 2000 to 2019. We find a positive and statistically significant effect of university patents on TFP growth of European regions (NUTS2). Furthermore, university patenting activity is positively associated with TFP growth in catching up and moving ahead regions.