The rule of law and educational choices: evidence from Italian regions

The rule of law and educational choices: evidence from Italian regions. Regional Studies. Educational choices about post-secondary fields of study vary across space and time due to psychological, social and economic motivations. A strand of the literature has focused on the role of institutional environment. In this vein, this paper emphasizes the link between regional institutions and students' preferences by pointing out how effective rule of law decreases resources that rent-seekers may expropriate, thus reducing incentives to choose careers devoted to protect producers from rent-seeking. The econometric investigation on Italian regions supports this view, finding that institutional quality and rule of law in students' region of origin are relevant to their choice.