Brain gain vs. brain drain. The effects of universities' mobile students on territorial inequalities

Ivan Etzo (), Raffaele Paci and C. Usala

Working Paper CRENoS from Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia

Abstract: Our study examines the relationship between university student mobility and local economic dynamics. Universities are pivotal in shaping societies and economies as hubs of knowledge creation, innovation, and cultural exchange. While recent research underscores the significant impact of university students on local development, there is a notable gap in understanding the distinct effects of mobile versus resident students on the local economy. Using data from 90 NUTS3 provinces in Italy between 2013 and 2019, we investigate the spatial inequalities generated by student mobility. Our focus is on secondlevel university students, who are closer to entering the labor market and thus have a more immediate impact on the local economy. Employing a standard fixed effects growth model, our findings reveal that incoming students significantly boost the economic growth of the destination province, particularly in the Center-North regions (brain gain). Conversely, the southern provinces suffer reduced growth due to the loss of talented students (brain drain). Thus, student mobility exacerbates the enduring spatial disparities in Italy contributing to uneven economic development across regions.

Keywords: mobile university students; growth model; brain drain; spatial disparities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu, nep-geo, nep-lab, nep-mac, nep-mig, nep-sbm and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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