Individual skills and student mobility in Italy: a regional perspective

Investigating how qualified human capital is spatially redistributed within a country, and what drives such process in the first place, is essential to understand which regions benefit from its concentration in terms of enhanced productivity and potential for growth. Applying structural equations modelling to the Italian National Institute of Statistics’ (ISTAT) Survey on Educational and Professional Paths of Upper Secondary School Graduates 2011, this paper evaluates the relationship between the propensity to experience interregional student mobility and individual skills in Italy. Findings confirm that the positive link between the two holds also controlling for family background and the characteristics of the region of origin.