Abstract
Using data from 103 Italian provinces, we investigated the relationship between local/regional development, and NEET. We constructed an indicator of cultural capital and another of economic capital and we studied their relation with the NEET rate. Covariance Structure Analysis with Generalized Least Squares estimation was employed, considering a three time-points retrospective model. Results indicate a consistent protective effect of the economic capital on the NEET rate, both in the short run (2 years) and in the medium run (10 years). However, this effect has been obtained in the Central provinces (at 2 and 10 years) and Southern provinces (at 10 years), but not in the Northern provinces. A mediation analysis indicated that, historically, the cultural capital may partly mediate the effect of the economic capital. We did not detect a significant direct effect of the cultural capital on the NEET rate, which is strongly mediated by the action of the economic capital. Together, these results denote that the economic capital is a strong predictor of NEET, but not in very competitive economic areas.
Highlights
The individual trajectories of adolescent development, including educational attainment and participation in the labor market, should be studied in conjunction with the role of macro-level determinants, which may play a top-down effect on teenagers’ behavior and interact with micro-level variables
Taking economic capital in 2007 (ECO07) as a putative mediator, we aimed to disentangle the total effect of cultural capital in 1997 (CUL97) on NEET in 2009 (NEE09) into a direct effect and an indirect effect that goes through the mediation of the economic capital
General Fit Index (GFI): Global Fit Index; Adjusted General Fit Index (AGFI): Adjusted Global Fit Index; RMR: Root Mean Square Residual: RMSEA: Root Mean Square Error of Approximation rate in 2017 (NEE17) as an outcome variable, and we found that the economic capital in 2007 (ECO07) possibly mediated almost the 100% (Z = 7.32, p < 0.0001) of the effect of the cultural capital in 1997 (CUL97), while the direct effect of the cultural capital in 1997 (CUL97) on the NEET rate in 2017 (NEE17) was not significant
Summary
The individual trajectories of adolescent development, including educational attainment and participation in the labor market, should be studied in conjunction with the role of macro-level determinants, which may play a top-down effect on teenagers’ behavior and interact with micro-level variables. There is high heterogeneity across and within countries (Mayer 2004), which makes important the study of macro-level variables for a deep understanding of social change and of youth transition to adulthood (Buchmann and Kriesi 2011). It is worth placing the study of NEET in this high-level framework, since this may provide policy makers with a comprehensive view on the risk factors involved in this phenomenon. Governmental and international agencies, in particular the EU and its institutions, have long targeted this group of young people for intervention and monitoring Such interest reflects the general objectives of the Lisbon strategy, ratified in 2000 by all Member States. On current state of research, there is large heterogeneity
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