Abstract

This paper aims at proving an analysis of the relationship between social mobility and the regional migration of graduates in Italy. We first discuss the recent theoretical debate on the brain drain, trying to highlight the losses and the potential gains for the region of origin related to an increase in the migration flows. The point is to assess the impact of migration on the level of both human and social capital. Then we consider the relationship between the quality of education and social mobility in Italy. Last we put together our findings and we draw some hypotheses in order to explain the causes and the implications of the migration of young skilled workers from the Mezzogiorno of Italy to more advanced regions of the country.