Paper Title
HOW MIGRANTS CAN AFFECT THE SCHOOL DROPOUT RISK IN HOSTING COUNTRIES: A REGIONAL ANALYSIS OF ITALY

Abstract
Abstract - Migration flows can influence a nation's features in many social aspects, including its propensity to invest in education. We examine how migrant inflows affect the proportion of students who drop out of school in Italy, before completing tertiary education. Our research is based on the fact that societies with higher proportions of immigrants tend to have more people born abroad in schools, who may have trouble adapting to the local educational system (e.g., for language barriers). This could cause problems for all students, native and foreign-born. With a regional analysis, we observe that the effect of migration exists in Italian regions during the period 2003-2021, and a higher percentage of migrants tends to decrease the dropout rates of all students. The effect is potentially the result of greater interest from policymakers due to a larger share of migrants in schools, involving greater specific investments for the benefit of all. We suggest how possible interventions can help the development of human capital by combining a better integration of young migrants. Keywords - Migration, Human Capital, School Drop-Out