Abstract
Drawing on the concept of human capital externalities, this paper investigates universities’ contribution to regional economies by analysing two types of graduate retention: labour retention (graduates employed in the region where they studied) and entrepreneurship retention (graduates starting businesses in the region where they studied). Using a panel of English universities (2010/11–2015/16), the paper examines the extent to which the specialization and diversification of universities’ subject mix influences graduate retention rates across urban and non-urban areas. Findings show that agglomeration dynamics affect labour and entrepreneurship retention differently, and that universities’ knowledge offer (subject specialization) matters across diverse geographical contexts.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1001-1014 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Regional Studies |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Early online date | 9 Apr 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 31 May 2022 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- graduate retention
- graduate entrepreneurship
- human capital externalities
- universities
- subject specialization
- metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas