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Regional concentration of university graduates: The role of high school grades and parental background

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  • Eliasson, Kent

    (Swedish Agency for Growth Policy Analysis, Östersund, Sweden. Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, Umeå University, Sweden.)

  • Haapanen, Mika

    (School of Business and Economics, University of Jyväskylä, Finland)

  • Westerlund, Olle

    (Department of Economics, Umeå University)

Abstract

In this paper, we analyse long-term changes in the regional distribution and migration flows of university graduates in Finland and Sweden. The study is based on detailed longitudinal population register data, including information on high school grades and parental background. We find a distinct pattern of skill divergence across regions in both countries over the last three decades. The uneven distribution of human capital has been reinforced by the mobility patterns among university graduates, for whom regional sorting by high school grades and parental background is evident. Our findings indicate that traditional measures of human capital concentration most likely underscore actual regional differences in productive skills.

Suggested Citation

  • Eliasson, Kent & Haapanen, Mika & Westerlund, Olle, 2019. "Regional concentration of university graduates: The role of high school grades and parental background," Umeå Economic Studies 966, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:umnees:0966
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Human capital; university graduates; migration; school grades; parental education; local labour market areas;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • R10 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - General
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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