Degree flexibility and university drop-out: the Italian experience

How to reduce university drop-out is a topic of increasing concern. Although several measures have been the subject of numerous debates, little attention has been given to those impacting on the duration, structure and content of the supply of university education. This paper looks at the Italian experience to see what can be learnt about the effectiveness of these measures. In 2001, the Italian university system embarked on a process of reform that introduced greater flexibility in the degree programme structure along with a wider range of services offered to students. Employing a decomposition analysis, we find that this reform is associated with changes in student behaviour leading to a decline in drop-out risk

The effects of overeducation on wages in Italy: a bivariate selectivity approach

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to analyse the effects of overeducation on wages in the Italian graduate labour market. Design/methodology/approach - The relationship between overeducation and wages is analysed using a double selection approach. Two basic individuals' decisions are explicitly considered in the analysis: the decision to work and the choice of occupation. The first one could create a problem of sample selection bias, whereas the second one could generate an endogeneity bias. Findings - Although in line with previous studies it was found that overeducated workers earn less than their appropriately educated peers, the results suggest also that this pay gap is significantly higher when a double selectivity approach is used than when an OLS approach is employed. The main reason why OLS techniques significantly underestimate the wage penalty associated with overeducation appears to be the bias introduced by the endogeneity of overeducation. Originality/value - Recent studies have examined the impact of overeducation on earnings using a single selection framework. This paper extends previous work by analysing the relationship between overeducation and wages using a double selection approach. Additionally, little research has focused on overeducation in Italy