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Do Study Abroad Programs Enhance the Employability of Graduates?

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  • Di Pietro, Giorgio

    (European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre)

Abstract

Despite the great popularity of international educational mobility schemes, relatively little research has been conducted to explore their benefits. Using data on a large sample of recent Italian graduates, this paper investigates the extent to which participation in study abroad programs during university studies impacts subsequent employment likelihood. To address the problem of endogeneity related to participation in study abroad programs, we use university-department fixed effects and instrumental variable estimation where the instrumental variable is exposure to international student exchange schemes. Our estimates show that studying abroad has a relatively large and statistically meaningful effect on the probability of being in employment 3 years after graduation. This effect is mainly driven by the impact that study abroad programs have on the employment prospects of graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Suggested Citation

  • Di Pietro, Giorgio, 2013. "Do Study Abroad Programs Enhance the Employability of Graduates?," IZA Discussion Papers 7675, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7675
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    Cited by:

    1. Goren, Heela, 2020. "Students in service of the state: Uncoupling student trips abroad and global competence," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    2. NISHIHATA Masaya & TAHARA Hidenori & KOBAYASHI Yohei, 2023. "Does Sending Teachers Abroad Enhance Their Quality and Ability?," Discussion papers 23055, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    3. Akira Shimada, 2023. "Can a host country increase human capital by accepting study migrants?," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 635-650, October.
    4. Dirk Czarnitzki & Wytse Joosten & Otto Toivanen, 2021. "International student exchange and academic performance," Working Papers of ECOOM - Centre for Research and Development Monitoring 671958, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), ECOOM - Centre for Research and Development Monitoring.
    5. Luca Favero & Andreina Fucci, 2017. "The Erasmus effect on earnings: a panel analysis from Siena," Department of Economics University of Siena 762, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    6. De Benedetto, Marco Alberto & De Paola, Maria & Scoppa, Vincenzo & Smirnova, Janna, 2023. "Erasmus Program and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from a Fuzzy Regression Discontinuity Design," IZA Discussion Papers 16181, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. DI PIETRO Giorgio, 2020. "Evidence on study abroad programmes: Data and indicators," JRC Research Reports JRC119964, Joint Research Centre.
    8. Sorrenti, Giuseppe, 2017. "The Spanish or the German apartment? Study abroad and the acquisition of permanent skills," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 142-158.
    9. Sieds, 2019. "Complete Volume LXXIII n. 2 2019," RIEDS - Rivista Italiana di Economia, Demografia e Statistica - The Italian Journal of Economic, Demographic and Statistical Studies, SIEDS Societa' Italiana di Economia Demografia e Statistica, vol. 73(2), pages 1-148, April-Jun.
    10. repec:ces:ifodic:v:15:y:2017:i:3:p:50000000000063 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. José Manuel Cordero Ferrera & Rosa Simancas Rodríguez (ed.), 2016. "Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación," E-books Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación, Asociación de Economía de la Educación, edition 1, volume 11, number 11.
    12. Schnepf, Sylke V. & d'Hombres, Beatrice, 2018. "International Mobility of Students in Italy and the UK: Does It Pay off and for Whom?," IZA Discussion Papers 12033, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Jana Cahlikova, 2015. "Study Abroad Experience and Attitudes Towards Other Nationalities," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp556, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    14. Granja, Cintia & Visentin, Fabiana & Carneiro, Ana Maria, 2023. "Can international mobility shape students' attitudes toward inequality?," MERIT Working Papers 2023-001, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    15. Wei-Ting Huang, 2018. "Principals’ Attitudes towards International Exchange Activities in the Context of Taiwan," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(6), pages 1-97, April.
    16. Emilia Kmiotek-Meier & Jan Skrobanek & Birte Nienaber & Volha Vysotskaya & Sahizer Samuk & Tuba Ardic & Irina Pavlova & Zsuzsanna Dabasi-Halázs & Celia Diaz & Jutta Bissinger & Tabea Schlimbach & Klau, 2019. "Why is it so hard? And for whom? Obstacles to intra-European mobility," Migration Letters, Migration Letters, vol. 16(1), pages 31-44, January.
    17. Granato, Silvia & Havari, Enkelejda & Mazzarella, Gianluca & Schnepf, Sylke V., 2021. "Study Abroad Programmes and Students' Academic Performance: Evidence from Erasmus Applications," IZA Discussion Papers 14651, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Valentina Ferri, 2019. "The impact of international students mobility on wages," RIEDS - Rivista Italiana di Economia, Demografia e Statistica - The Italian Journal of Economic, Demographic and Statistical Studies, SIEDS Societa' Italiana di Economia Demografia e Statistica, vol. 73(2), pages 135-146, April-Jun.
    19. Di Pietro Giorgio & European Commission & IZA, 2022. "Studying abroad and earnings: A meta‐analysis," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(4), pages 1096-1129, September.
    20. Giorgio Di Pietro, 2019. "University study abroad and graduates’ employability," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 109-109, May.
    21. Martina Burmann & Antonia Delius, 2017. "Student Mobility in Tertiary Education," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 15(03), pages 48-50, October.
    22. Meya, Johannes & Suntheim, Katharina, 2014. "The second dividend of studying abroad: The impact of international student mobility on academic performance," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 215, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    23. Waibel, Stine & Rüger, Heiko & Ette, Andreas, 2020. "Who benefits? Heterogeneous effects of international student mobility on occupational attainment," WiSo-HH Working Paper Series 61, University of Hamburg, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, WISO Research Laboratory.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    study abroad programs; graduates; employment; instrumental variable;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • J6 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers

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