Graduate migration in Italy - Lifestyle or necessity?

This paper studies the locational choice of Italian mobile graduates, tackling simultaneously three aspects. First it analyses the structural drivers of migration (i.e. the key regional characteristics that attract high-skilled migrants) and the social structures that underpin it (i.e the role of migration networks). Secondly, it compares the preferences of migrants across Italy, to those who move from the least developed South to the Centre-North and those who move within the richer Centre-North. Thirdly, as graduate migration is a key mechanism to transfer knowledge from the university to the labour market, particular attention is given to migrants who are applying, in their jobs, exactly the skills gained through their degree. Results indicate that social networks are a much stronger determinant of the destination of graduates than regional characteristics, that to apply one’s knowledge it is necessary to move to highly innovative areas, and that graduates from different areas have different preferences and behaviour. In particular, whilst migration is a lifestyle choice for those who move within the Centre-North, it is driven by economic necessity for those who leave the South.

Graduates on the move: knowledge flows and Italian regional disparities. Migration patterns of 2001 graduates

Italy is characterised by large sub-national disparities between the less developed South and the more developed Centre-North. It comes at no surprise, therefore, that it has a complex history of population flows from the South to the rest of the country. This thesis focuses on a new trend in the dynamics of internal population flows: whilst historically unskilled workers constituted the bulk of Italian migrants, in recent years, the high skilled have become increasingly mobile. As the high skilled are a crucial input to both innovative activity and economic growth, their spatial movements can potentially affect the dynamics of local development and as such, deserve thorough investigation. The work analyses this internal brain drain, focusing on recent university graduates. As a group, they are especially interesting to study: not only because, as they transit between study and work, they are particularly prone to move, but also because they have, so far, largely been neglected by scholars. Whilst the existing literature has mostly compared spatially mobile to spatially immobile individuals, this thesis distinguishes between returners (who leave the region of study to move back to their home region), migrants (who leave the region of study to move elsewhere) and stayers (who remain in the region of study). This tripartite taxonomy enables us to identify new insights on the dynamics of spatial mobility. The study draws upon a wide and interdisciplinary literature and builds an original theoretical framework to analyse the knowledge flows generated by mobile graduates. Through this framework, it carries out a comprehensive analysis of the causes and consequences of human capital mobility, at the micro, meso and macro level. The main contribution of the thesis is to explain the links between graduate flows and regional innovation. In addition, the study also explores the consequences of migration on job-satisfaction and the social nature of spatial mobility itself. Methodologically, it applies a wide array of econometric techniques to a survey on graduates’ entry in the labour market, developed by the Italian statistical office (ISTAT). At the policy level, the study sheds light on the connection between higher education, innovation and regional development, providing a new perspective on the long-standing debate on Italian sub-national inequalitie

Smart Specialisation at work: The entrepreneurial discovery as a continuous process S3 Working Paper Series No. 12/2017

The term Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (or EDP) originally referred to the identification of areas for investment in research and innovation (i.e. priority-areas), through an inclusive and evidence-based process grounded in stakeholders’ engagement. The experience of the S3 Platform has highlighted, on the one hand, that the concept itself has evolved from being a process limited to the identification of investment-priorities in the design-phase of a Smart Specialisation Strategy, into a continuous activity, which keeps going throughout the strategy’s implementation; on the other, that there was a significant gap in understanding how different actors engaged in the EDP. Such continuous EDP implies that stakeholders are kept engaged in the refinement of priority-areas, the identification of instruments that would implement them, as well as the RIS3 governance and monitoring mechanisms that would allow the expected competitive advantages to emerge. With this report, we address both issues. Firstly, we submit the concept of continuous EDP to an empirical test. Secondly, we look in depth at the role of different stakeholders in the EDP (especially in the design phase of RIS3). To do so, we present the results of a survey run in the S3 Platform, aimed at monitoring current practices in the EDP. The survey provides information on how the 4-ple helix has taken part in the EDP and provides insights on the relationship between the different actors and the public body responsible for the EDP. The results confirm that once investment priorities have been identified with the involvement of stakeholders, various mechanisms that keep them engaged in following the development of such priorities are often put in place. Finally, the results indicate that the EDP, as a continuous process, is proving positive and satisfactory.JRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen

Overview of EU-Russia R&D and Innovation Cooperation: ERA.NET RUS Scenario Validation

A foresight exercise is one of the central elements of the EU FP7 funded ERA.Net RUS project. The foresight exercise prepares structural and thematic scenarios for R&D and innovation cooperation between EU Member States (MS), Associated Countries (AC) to FP7 and Russia. The term structural scenario refers to institutional solutions and instruments (e.g. funding programmes) for the cooperation, whereas the term thematic scenario refers to relevant thematic priorities for the cooperation. The foresight and the resulting scenarios shall provide a basis for a sustainable joint funding programme between EU MS/AC and Russia.JRC.J.2-Knowledge for Growt

Graduates on the move : knowledge flows and Italian regional disparities. Migration patterns of 2001 graduates

Italy is characterised by large sub-national disparities between the less developed South and the more developed Centre-North. It comes at no surprise, therefore, that it has a complex history of population flows from the South to the rest of the country. This thesis focuses on a new trend in the dynamics of internal population flows: whilst historically unskilled workers constituted the bulk of Italian migrants, in recent years, the high skilled have become increasingly mobile. As the high skilled are a crucial input to both innovative activity and economic growth, their spatial movements can potentially affect the dynamics of local development and as such, deserve thorough investigation. The work analyses this internal brain drain, focusing on recent university graduates. As a group, they are especially interesting to study: not only because, as they transit between study and work, they are particularly prone to move, but also because they have, so far, largely been neglected by scholars. Whilst the existing literature has mostly compared spatially mobile to spatially immobile individuals, this thesis distinguishes between returners (who leave the region of study to move back to their home region), migrants (who leave the region of study to move elsewhere) and stayers (who remain in the region of study). This tripartite taxonomy enables us to identify new insights on the dynamics of spatial mobility. The study draws upon a wide and interdisciplinary literature and builds an original theoretical framework to analyse the knowledge flows generated by mobile graduates. Through this framework, it carries out a comprehensive analysis of the causes and consequences of human capital mobility, at the micro, meso and macro level. The main contribution of the thesis is to explain the links between graduate flows and regional innovation. In addition, the study also explores the consequences of migration on job-satisfaction and the social nature of spatial mobility itself. Methodologically, it applies a wide array of econometric techniques to a survey on graduates’ entry in the labour market, developed by the Italian statistical office (ISTAT). At the policy level, the study sheds light on the connection between higher education, innovation and regional development, providing a new perspective on the long-standing debate on Italian sub-national inequalitiesEThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Universities and RIS3: the case of Catalonia and the RIS3CAT Communities Smart Specialisation Policy Brief No. 18/2016

The study allows extrapolations relevant to other EU regions and to furthering the conceptual RIS3 framework. • The EDP must be intended as continuous process that goes from priority identification to the definition and implementation of policy instruments, aimed at pursuing innovative and collaborative projects. • As such, the EDP requires the government to act as or provide a platform for stakeholders’ interaction and RIS3 implementation. RIS3CAT Communities are a good example of this new role of government and one from which other regions can take inspiration. • In RIS3 is not sufficient to engage stakeholders at the planning level. It is beneficial to consult stakeholders in the actual definition of policy instruments, in order to be able to identify potential bottlenecks and ensure that each stakeholder is well positioned to take part and contribute to the process with its resources and capabilities. • In this respect, it is important to stress that universities, SMEs and large firms, have different strengths and financial regimes. Such heterogeneity should be better exploited, without limiting cash-short actors. • Whilst the road ahead is challenging for HEIs, which face a policy environment that is changing faster than their organizational culture, universities are showing both resilience and leadership in taking up the challenge of being a key actor for local development. The RIS3 approach builds coherently on this evolution and has the potential to leverage it for the benefit of regions and local communities.JRC.J.2-Knowledge for Growt

Higher Education for Smart Specialisation Towards strategic partnerships for innovation

The Policy Brief analyses three elements: - S3 Platform survey data on institutions and smart specialisation - ESF programming data - HESS pilot case studiesJRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen

Reducing the distance between thinkers and doers in the entrepreneurial discovery process: An exploratory study

The existing gap between thinkers and doers is one of the main reasons behind the failure of the modern research system in the field of management, as many scholars suggest. Participatory, action research and experience-based methods are now attracting scholars as well as institutions who actively participate in improving the efficacy of policy-making. This study presents the work conducted by the JRC-IPTS of the European Commission in the Greek region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace for supporting the implementation of the region's Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3). The study presents the methodology based on participatory and experience-based methods and offers reflections on how to reduce the thinkers–doers gap