Culture and the Family: An Application to Educational Choices in Italy

In this essay we review the association between the importance of family ties in a society and a series of economic indicators. We then examine in details the importance of the family in influencing educational choices in Italy, a country with very strong family ties. The results indicate that family background is crucial in determining the choice of high school in Italy. It is the choice of high school that then determines subsequent academic performance. The evidence suggests that graduating from a general high school increases the probability of attending university, whereas no effect can be found for family background. The fact that the majority of students with a poor family background tend to go to technical schools, following family suggestions, has an impact in prolonging the low level of educational mobility and leading to a low rate of college graduates in Italy. JEL Classification Numbers: Z10, Z13