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Enrollment costs, university quality and higher education choices in Italy

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  • Pigini, Claudia
  • Staffolani, Stefano

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the higher education choices of Italian secondary school leavers by addressing the roles of university quality, costs and geographical distance to the institution as well as the relationship between students’ choices and their personal and household’s attributes, such as individual secondary school background and the socio-economic condition of the family of origin. Grounding such decision process on the framework of the Random Utility Model (RUM), we provide empirical evidence on the determinants of students’ choices by estimating a nested logit model on the ISTAT survey of secondary school graduates. Results show that the effects of increasing costs of enrollments and university standards are strongly differentiated across sub-groups of individuals. In particular, the choice probability of weaker students, in the sense of secondary school background and household’s socio–economic condition, is more sensitive to changes in university costs and quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Pigini, Claudia & Staffolani, Stefano, 2013. "Enrollment costs, university quality and higher education choices in Italy," MPRA Paper 50364, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:50364
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. B. Cesi & D. Paolini, 2011. "University choice, peer group and distance," Working Paper CRENoS 201101, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    6. Marc Frenette, 2006. "Too Far to Go On? Distance to School and University Participation," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(1), pages 31-58.
    7. Gibbons, Stephen & Vignoles, Anna, 2012. "Geography, choice and participation in higher education in England," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1-2), pages 98-113.
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    Cited by:

    1. Emanuela Ghignoni, 2016. "The ?great escape? from Italian Universities: Do labour market recruitment channels matter?," QUADERNI DI ECONOMIA DEL LAVORO, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2016(106), pages 49-75.
    2. Emanuela Ghignoni, 2015. "Family background and university dropouts during the crisis: the case of Italy," Working Papers in Public Economics 169, Department of Economics and Law, Sapienza University of Roma.
    3. Umut Türk, 2019. "Socio-Economic Determinants of Student Mobility and Inequality of Access to Higher Education in Italy," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 125-148, March.
    4. Emanuela Ghignoni, 2017. "Who do you know or what do you know? Informal recruitment channels, family background and university enrolments," Working Papers in Public Economics 179, Department of Economics and Law, Sapienza University of Roma.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Enrollment cost; university quality; geographical distance; university choice; Random Utility Maximization model.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C25 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions; Probabilities
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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