(I Can't Get No) Education: Quanto Rende Investire Nell'Istruzione in Italia? (An estimate of the private rates of return in education in Italy and some OECD countries)

Abstract

By using a simple (short-cut) method, the private and social rates of return of tertiary and secondary education in Italy between 1989 and 1998 are estimated, as well as the private rates of return for some OECD countries in 1998. The results show that private rates of return, especially for tertiary education, are lower in Italy than in all the OECD countries examined. Moreover, tertiary education increases the probability of being employed in Italy, although much less than in the other countries of the sample, and the productivity of the tertiary education system in Italy is the lowest in the sample, which suggests the need for an increase of public (or private) investment.