Are "green-labelled" HE degrees also socially sustainable? The case of graduates’ employability in Italian provinces

Luca Cattani, Kore University of Enna Pedrini () and Dorel Manitiu ()
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Kore University of Enna Pedrini: Kore University of Enna
Dorel Manitiu: Alma Laurea Consortium

No 2024-11, Discussion Paper series in Regional Science & Economic Geography from Gran Sasso Science Institute, Social Sciences

Abstract: This research examines the changing landscape of academic curricula, with a specific focus on the integration of sustainable development topics into university programs. As the provision of “green skills†and the creation of “green jobs†gain momentum in the sustainability debate at the European and international levels, we aim to analyze unequal labor market (LM) outcomes among graduates resulting from the expansion of green curricula. To address the current gap in research, we use data from the AlmaLaurea Interuniversity Consortium, the Italian Ministry of University and Research, and the Italian Labour Force Survey, conducting a panel fixed effects analysis to evaluate the impact of environmentally focused programs on various graduates' LM outcomes. Our findings shed light on the role of sustainability-oriented higher education in shaping local labor market outcomes and, consequently, inequality among graduates. Our research contributes to the broader discourse on unequal graduate outcomes by offering insights into the consequences of incorporating environmental sustainability into higher education programs. By focusing on the Italian context, we provide new evidence on the potential unintended social consequences of sustainability-oriented higher education policies in the context of a just transition.

Keywords: sustainability; higher education graduates’ employability; local labour markets (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J24 O30 R12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 28 pages
Date: 2024-05, Revised 2024-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene, nep-env and nep-inv
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