Contextual factors of the external effectiveness of the University education: a multilevel approach

This paper aims at measuring the external effectiveness of the degree programmes of Italian universities taking into account both the characteristics of graduates and some context factors that differently affect the Italian regional labour markets. The analysis is performed via a multilevel logistic model using the Istat survey on Italian graduates of year 2004. Considering job placement one year after graduation, the regional youth unemployment rate affects the occupational chances, but this effect is moderate especially for degree programmes yielding high occupational chances. Even after controlling for the youth unemployment rate, the probability of getting job for graduates in the same subject area is markedly different across universities.