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This paper analyses the educational outcomes and the human capital accumulation of a cohort of youths, focusing on their family origin. Using a unique survey of a Northern Italian province traditionally interested by large internal migration inflows especially from the South, we find that migrants' children have a higher probability of early dropout, especially in the case of males. This evidence calls into question the integration of internal migrants, for whom education plays a crucial role, even in a period in which foreign immigration seems to be of major concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses non-compulsory secondary school enrolment of immigrant students in Italy. Such enrolment implies a voluntary decision and can influence future career paths in the labour market. The results show that the enrolment rates of immigrants are lower than those of Italians. Immigrant students prefer vocational schools and shorter-term education. The pattern of these preferences remains constant across the throughout Italy, even if Italy presents strong differences in the economic development of its regions, with rich Northern and poor Southern regions. The enrolment rates of second-generation immigrant students differ from those of first-generation students, but the size of this component is still too small to indicate a clear trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Aims: Undue concerns about the consequences of fever and its inappropriate management have been documented worldwide among physicians. However, no data exist on medical students. We investigated the perception, knowledge and attitude towards childhood fever among final‐year medical students. Methods: Between June and September 2021, final‐year medical students of six Italian universities were invited to complete an online survey on their conceptions and attitude towards pharmacological and non‐pharmacological management of childhood fever. History of relevant personal or second‐hand experience with childhood fever was also addressed. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. Results: Of 1095 (69%) final‐year medical students, 756 completed the survey. Many students believe that high fever might cause brain damage, would recommend physical methods and alternate two drugs for fever. Most students do not think that fever has mainly beneficial effects. In Northern Italy, students are less likely to believe that fever might lead to brain damage (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.33–0.94), and in Southern Italy students are more likely to advise physical methods (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.22–2.57) and less likely to believe that fever has mainly beneficial effects (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.39–0.77). History of a relevant personal episode of fever during childhood was not associated with these outcomes. Conclusions: Misconceptions about fever are common among final‐year medical students in Italy. Cultural factors rather than individually learned traits might underlie these beliefs. Medical students are a promising target for educational interventions to improve childhood fever management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A'Hearn, Delfino, and Nuvolari recently argued in this journal that the indicator function of age heaping for education, and numeracy in particular, is quite limited. In contrast, we show empirically that by applying the methodological elements that were developed over the past decade, age‐heaping‐based numeracy research can be an important tool for economic history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shows that a shift towards a more centralized school system can benefit countries that are characterized by poor levels of human capital and large regional disparities in education. In 1911, Italy moved from a fully decentralized primary school system towards centralization through the Daneo‐Credaro Reform. The design of the Reform allows us to compare treated municipalities with those that retained school autonomy. Our quasi‐experiment, based on propensity score matching (PSM), shows that centralization substantially increased the pace of human capital accumulation. Treated municipalities were characterized by a 0.43 percentage‐point premium on the average annual growth of literacy between 1911 and 1921. We discuss some of the channels through which the new legislation affected primary schooling and literacy, with important implications for long‐term economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: In recent years, the continuous improvements in molecular biology techniques have made it possible to detect carriers for several genetic conditions, including cystic fibrosis (CF). In some countries, CF carrier screening is offered to increasing subset of the general population. Offering of carrier screening at a population level should not be decided by local health authorities only, without consulting citizens' preferences. One way to involve citizens in the decision process might be to a Citizens' jury, a method of deliberative democracy. Objective: The object of the study is to produce a recommendation statement about CF carrier screening using a Citizens' jury. As this is a new method in the field, the study also provided the opportunity to evaluate its effectiveness. Design: The project is designed and managed by an executive committee. The whole process is superintended by a multidisciplinary scientific committee. The 16 members of the jury attend a 1 day meeting, assisted by a non‐medical and unbiased facilitator. Informative material was prepared and distributed 15 days before the jury meeting; during the meeting, experts and witnesses interact directly with all the jurors through questions and answers. Results: All except one member of the jury felt positively about the Health Service actively providing population carrier screening for CF. The final statement was available to public, clinicians, researchers and decision‐makers. Discussion: In general, a Citizens' jury is a feasible method for involving citizens in public health decision‐making process and in particular for obtaining a community view about CF carrier screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]