This paper analyses the impact of informal recruitment channels on university enrolment decisions. A widespread diffusion of personal connections as an entry channel to the labour market may signal that social ties to well-off people are necessary to get a good job, thereby convincing students from poorly connected families that getting a tertiary education degree does not enhance their future socio-economic opportunities. By applying estimation techniques with instrumental variables to Italian microdata, I found that upper-secondary students coming from lower social classes are less likely to participate in tertiary education when they live in provinces where the percentage of newly tertiary graduates who found a job through informal channels is higher. My results are consistent with the hypothesis that the wide diffusion of ‘favouritism’ in local labour markets engenders a sense of ‘economic despair’ among poorly connected students, thereby worsening inequality of access to education and local socio-economic development.literature and the hypothesis.

Informal recruitment channels, family background and university enrolments in Italy / Ghignoni, E.. - In: HIGHER EDUCATION. - ISSN 0018-1560. - (2021), pp. 1-29. [10.1007/s10734-020-00578-3]

Informal recruitment channels, family background and university enrolments in Italy

Ghignoni E.
2021

Abstract

This paper analyses the impact of informal recruitment channels on university enrolment decisions. A widespread diffusion of personal connections as an entry channel to the labour market may signal that social ties to well-off people are necessary to get a good job, thereby convincing students from poorly connected families that getting a tertiary education degree does not enhance their future socio-economic opportunities. By applying estimation techniques with instrumental variables to Italian microdata, I found that upper-secondary students coming from lower social classes are less likely to participate in tertiary education when they live in provinces where the percentage of newly tertiary graduates who found a job through informal channels is higher. My results are consistent with the hypothesis that the wide diffusion of ‘favouritism’ in local labour markets engenders a sense of ‘economic despair’ among poorly connected students, thereby worsening inequality of access to education and local socio-economic development.literature and the hypothesis.
2021
favouritism; informal channels; local labour markets; social class; university enrolments
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Informal recruitment channels, family background and university enrolments in Italy / Ghignoni, E.. - In: HIGHER EDUCATION. - ISSN 0018-1560. - (2021), pp. 1-29. [10.1007/s10734-020-00578-3]
File allegati a questo prodotto
File Dimensione Formato  
Ghignoni_Informal_2021.pdf

solo gestori archivio

Tipologia: Versione editoriale (versione pubblicata con il layout dell'editore)
Licenza: Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved)
Dimensione 940.65 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
940.65 kB Adobe PDF   Contatta l'autore

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1473898
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 0
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 0
social impact