How important is culture?

Abstract

In a globalised world where competitiveness represents the keystone of modern capitalist society and thus of economic health and prosperity, knowledge and expertise express the very differentiating element between successful and unsuccessful economic performance. In a systemic perspective, the ever-changing character of our society imposes a continuous reorientation of the processes of knowledge transmission to tackle the increasing challenges posed by interrelated labour markets. In the academic field, this involves the use of multi- and transdisciplinary approaches in research and education. In the light of the assumption that the economy is not a self-standing subject but it dialectically interacts with the socio-cultural phenomena, the researchers will provide an in-depth analysis of the most recent data on the relationship between economics and culture. This article is the result of analytical research, conducted by using the mixed research methodology. The primary and secondary data are used, as well as do an extensive bibliographic research. The analysis offered is functional, in order to determine a correlation between economics and culture. By examining the specific outcome of the educational system, the researchers will give important insights into the capacity of the Italian educational system to address new needs of labour markets, i.e. to support the employment rate of recent graduates. This work further aims to verify the hypothesis of a positive correlation between economic performance and educational level. The main research limitation might be related to the fact that this study offers a national overview of the phenomenon, leaving aside any regional or local specificity. The original value of this work lays in the test of the theory recognizing a connection between changes in the labour market and in Italian educational system.