The south-north mobility of Italian college graduates

Abstract

"In this article, I address the issue of whether 'brain drain' is taking place from the South to the North of Italy, i.e. whether the most skilled individuals have a greater propensity to move away from the South. I find evidence that the best college graduates have a higher probability of choosing Northern or Central Italy as a place of residence. The above results raise concerns about the growth potential of the South of Italy, which is already less developed than the rest of the country. Moreover, I consider the impact of family background on mobility. According to my results, having high-level self-employed parents significantly deters mobility, whereas parental education has no significant effect. I suggest an interpretation of this outcome that links social class membership to the individual propensity to move, and I provide some additional evidence in support of this hypothesis." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Capuano, S. (2012): The south-north mobility of Italian college graduates. An empirical analysis. In: European Sociological Review, Vol. 28, No. 4, p. 538-549. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcr023