1,721,025 research outputs found
Demand and supply of skilled labour and persistence of young workers’ overeducation in Europe: Mediterranean countries versus the Netherlands
Full text linkAccording to theoretical and empirical evidence, young workers are more likely to be overeducated than adult ones, especially in countries where the educational attainment of young people is increasing rapidly and the school-to-work transition is difficult and lengthy.
Nonetheless, if overeducation were simply a transitory phenomenon (an «entry condition» on the labour market) and expected to disappear during working life, it would not be a crucial problem. The aim of this paper is to investigate the transitory versus persistent nature of young workers’ overeducation in different European countries. The analysis consists of two successive phases. Firstly, in order to take into account the role of work experience,
I estimated individuals’ overeducation risks using the competences frontier method. Secondly, I studied the «destination» of different cohorts of workers by applying a pseudo-panel technique to ECHP-Eurostat microdata referring to European Mediterranean countries
(Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain, the so called «P.I.G.S.» countries) in comparison with a very different socio-economic system: the Netherlands. Results show that in countries where
the growth in the average level of education of the population («supply» effect) has been driven by an effective requirement for a more highly educated workforce («demand» effect), young workers’ overeducation tends to be a transitory phenomenon. By contrast, work experience does not reduce young (and adult) workers overeducation in low-skill demanding local labour markets
Il grande sorpasso delle laureate. InGenere.it ISSN 2039-1838
No full textOrmai è un dato globale; le donne si laureano più e meglio degli uomini. Eppure per loro la laurea non "rende" più che per i maschi, anzi rende di meno. E le donne hanno costi diretti più alti per gli studi universitari. Ma è minore per loro il costo psicologico: fanno meno fatica a studiar
Family background and university dropouts during the crisis: the case of Italy
No full textThe Italian university system has long been characterised by high non-completion
rates, though aggregate data show a slight reduction of dropouts in recent years.
The most straightforward theoretical explanation for this lies in the lowering opportunity
cost of studying due to the financial and economic crisis. Nonetheless, this interpretation is
likely to be partly misleading. Indeed, when the crisis hit Italy, enrolment rates had been
declining for years and the sample of freshmen has become increasingly selected according
to family ‘social class’, family cultural background, type of high school diploma and
individual ability. Since a good family background, as well as other individual characteristics,
significantly increases students’ probability of succeeding, the recent decline in
dropout rates could partly depend on sample selection. By applying probit selection models
and decomposition techniques to a sample of Italian university students enrolled in different
periods of time, I find that changes in students’ background and students’ characteristics
play a major role in the recent reduction of the aggregate dropout rate.The Italian university system has long been characterised by high non-completion
rates, though aggregate data show a slight reduction of dropouts in recent years.
The most straightforward theoretical explanation for this lies in the lowering opportunity
cost of studying due to the financial and economic crisis. Nonetheless, this interpretation is
likely to be partly misleading. Indeed, when the crisis hit Italy, enrolment rates had been
declining for years and the sample of freshmen has become increasingly selected according
to family ‘social class’, family cultural background, type of high school diploma and
individual ability. Since a good family background, as well as other individual characteristics,
significantly increases students’ probability of succeeding, the recent decline in
dropout rates could partly depend on sample selection. By applying probit selection models
and decomposition techniques to a sample of Italian university students enrolled in different
periods of time, I find that changes in students’ background and students’ characteristics
play a major role in the recent reduction of the aggregate dropout rate
Household income, family composition, and human capital in Southern Italy
Full text linkIn this paper I analyse the reasons for the low rate of growth of average level of education in the South of Italy from the labour supply side point of view. In particular I try to develop a theoretical and empirical model based on the hypothesis that the lower income of southern families (compared to those of the Centre and the North), along with the different fertility levels and composition of the families at regional level, have a strong effect on the choice on whether or not to continue studying at university level for the individuals living in different areas of the country
Temporary contracts, employees’ effort and labour productivity: the evidence for Italy
Full text linkThis paper discusses the thesis (recently pointed out by empirical evidence on Swiss data) that, if temporary contracts are utilised by firms as a tool to screen potential new employees and provide workers with a “stepping stone” into permanent employment, then temporary employees have an incentive to provide more effort than their permanent colleagues. After a theoretical discussion, the paper focuses on the econometrical analysis of this thesis in an institutional context, like the Italian one, in which permanent workers are rather protected and firms are likely to use temporary contracts mainly to adjust the workforce during the cycle. Data are drawn from ECHP (1996-2001) for Italy and from ISFOL-Plus 2005. The paper concludes by pointing out that a higher effort does not necessary mean higher labour productivity, and suggests the necessary public policies to improve productivity in labour markets characterised by a growing rate of temporary jobs
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