Compulsory Schooling and Educational Inequalities: Insights from the Italian Fioroni Reform

The research focuses on how changes in the schooling system, particularly the increase in compulsory schooling age, impact educational outcomes, especially for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. The analysis is carried out exploiting the most recent Italian policy on schooling compulsory age, the Fioroni reform, that starting from the 2007/2008 academic year has increased minimum school leaving age from 14 to 16. Using data from the Survey on Household Income and Wealth (SHIW) of the Bank of Italy, I assess whether and how this change has contributed to reducing or exacerbating socioeconomic inequalities in Italy. Results suggest that the reform increased educational attainment among men, by raising the probability of completing upper secondary education. The effect is stronger for those whose parents have low levels of education, indicating that the reform has been more effective in improving outcomes for individuals from disadvantaged conditions.