Student and graduate entrepreneurship in Italy

della Peruta, Daniele; Kobylińska, Urszula

Student and graduate entrepreneurship in Italy

Abstract

The article enriches the discussion on entrepreneurial attitudes. Main objective of the study is presenting the state of the art of entrepreneurial behaviour in Italy among graduates. Conclusions were formulated, based on extensive research, conducted at national level, of the entrepreneurship of graduates in Italy. The article involves description of the entrepreneurial activities of university students in Italy and their economic impact. For this purpose, the data, at individual level, of 2 891 980 graduates in an Italian university between 2004-2018 and the data, at company level, of the 236 362 companies founded by them, have been considered. The study was prepared owing to the collaboration between the Consortium Interuniversitario Almalaurea, the Department of Business Sciences of the University of Bologna and Unioncamere. Information about graduates comes from Almalaurea data-base (which collects about 90% of graduated in Italy in 2018), while the characteristics of enterprises derive from the Unioncamere database and AIDA Bureau van Dijk. Information on graduates includes, in particular, demographic characteristics, the family of origin and university course concluded. Information on business activities cover a broad spectrum of the entrepreneurship of graduates, from the creation of new businesses to management and acquisition of undertakings. The main conclusion from the report is that education is an important positive determinant of entrepreneurial performance and according to some studies, the poor economic performance of the Italian economy in the past 15 years or so can be partly ascribed to entrepreneurial strategies determined by a poor endowment of human capital.