A missing link? Cultural capital as a source of human capital: evidence from Italian regional data

摘要

We apply a 2SLS approach to panel data from Italian regions, 2004-2014, to investigate the relationship between cultural and human capital. We find that cultural participation, as a proxy of cultural capital, has positive impact on two proxies of human capital, tertiary education and lifelong learning. Due to structural differences between North Central and Southern Italy, we separately analyse the two macro-regions, highlighting differences in cultural participation and human capital endowment, finding positive relations between the two types of capital in all areas. The relationship between cultural and human capital is mediated by the heterogeneity of regional socio-economic orientations towards education, learning, and cultural participation.