Graduating in Crisis Times: A Glance at Southern Italy

Using AlmaLaurea data, this paper aims at analysing the performances of theuniversity system and its contribution to human capital formation in the Country,also in its territorial partitions. The latest AlmaLaurea data record a dramaticworsening of employment conditions of young people, due to the crisis, particularlyin the South of Italy. Its persistence, causing effects on households' disposableincome and on graduates' employment prospects, of course affects also thechoice of enrolling at university, thus having long-term negative effects on humancapital formation in the South of Italy and therefore on its growth prospects. Inorder for not to happen this, it is necessary to act in different fields and at differentlevels of competence - for example by privileging interventions for supportingthe right to study.The advisability of evaluating universities and allocating funds on the basisof the results is a prime objective, but the choice of instruments and indicatorsdisregarding different background conditions, unfavourable socio-economic conditionsin the South, would intensify the negative effect of the above said mechanisms.The charge would be paid mainly by the most deserving southern youngpeople who are less disposed to move for socio-economic reasons.