No. 1519 - Brain drain on the fast train: high-speed connections and student mobility

Temi di discussione (Working papers)
by Edoardo Frattola, Elena Lazzaro, Ilaria Lopresti and Mario Tartaglia
February 2026
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The study analyzes the consequences of opening new high-speed rail connections between provinces with university campuses on student flows during the period 2010–2019. The expected effect is theoretically ambiguous: greater territorial accessibility may attract students from other provinces, or it may facilitate the departure of local residents toward more attractive destinations.

Provinces that began to be served by a high-speed rail connection recorded, on average, an 8 percent increase in outbound student flows, while no corresponding increase was observed in inbound flows. The growth in outbound flows concerned only long-distance movements and was concentrated in the South, where improved connectivity facilitated departures mainly toward Naples and Rome.

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  1. 06 February 2026
    No. 1519 - Brain drain on the fast train: high-speed connections and student mobility
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