Does the Expansion of Higher Education Increase the Equality of Educational Opportunities? Evidence from Italy

Abstract

This paper studies the role of the expansion of higher education supply in increasing the equality of post-secondary education opportunities. It examines Italy's experience during the 1990s, when policy changes prompted universities to offer a wider range of degree courses and to open new campuses. Our analysis focuses on full-time students (not older than 31); the results suggest that the expansion had only limited effects in terms of reducing individual inequality in higher education achievement. That is, the greater availability of courses had a significant positive impact only on the probability of enrolment, not on that of obtaining a university degree, while the opening of new campuses had no effect.

Keywords: Higher Education, family background, Italy

JEL Classification: I2