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Linking University Harshness and Students’ Choices: Sociodemographic Differences based on Italian Universities’ Characteristics

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  • Gabriele Lombardi
  • Giulio Ghellini

Abstract

Through the decades, the Higher Education System globally experimented a huge increase in the average marks that each student receives. Among several hypothesis, in this article the idea that grading is one of the tool that every department can use in order to attract a larger amount of students will be stressed. Regarding the Italian case, the speed in obtaining a degree is among the criteria considered by the Ministry of Education in order to evaluate universities, financing them proportionally. As a shortcoming, this can boost an artificial increase in marks. So, the number of students becomes important for those universities with the worst ranking positions, in order to finance themselves through fees. On the other side, it is reasonable to expect that a student emigrates toward places which offer higher chances of receiving a job. In other words, mobility might be driven by the search for better working conditions, and not by the ’ease’ of the faculty. Testing this hypothesis, a Multinomial Conditional Logit Model will be implemented in order to measure the probability of choosing a certain destination depending on the harshness and reputation of a University and on the rates of unemployment at a regional level.

Suggested Citation

  • Gabriele Lombardi & Giulio Ghellini, 2019. "Linking University Harshness and Students’ Choices: Sociodemographic Differences based on Italian Universities’ Characteristics," Department of Economics University of Siena 805, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    • Handle: RePEc:usi:wpaper:805
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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