Some remarks on the causal relationship between family backgrounds and NEET status

Literature is progressively focusing on the analysis of the features of so-called NEETs, that is those young people who, besides being not employed, are not involved in any education or training activities. In the past, we have also investigated the role played by personal characteristics (age, gender, qualification, residence) and by context factors (in particular, related to the families of origin in determining the above status). On the one hand, a very complex situation arises, in which Italy shows a distinctive profile compared to other European countries; on the other hand, empirical evidence, while clearly suggests some features as closely linked to the probability of being NEET (such as “economic transfers from family”) do not always clarify the cause-effect relationship between these explanatory variables and the dependent variable. In such a context, the aim of this paper is to study the causal relationship between family characteristics and NEET status. This analysis will allow us to highlight whether economic transfers from families to younger generations should be intended as intergenerational welfare activities, thus representing the necessary support for those who in certain age groups struggle to find jobs or pursue education / training processes, or whether such transfers can even trigger “effort resetting” mechanisms that push young people towards NEET position.