Prestiti d'onore: analisi teorica ed evidenza empirica

This paper explores the economic theory of student loans, detailing in a first theoretical part the motives for the Government and for private institutions of making student loans. Then, in the second part some examples of empirical evidence are analysed. Student loan schemes in Australia, in the United Kingdom and in the United States are compared, trying to find differences and similarities among their features. Finally, this paper gives an overview of the Italian situation, where only private institutions make student loans, and suggests that a government program of student loans, with more advantageous conditions for students than private institution loans, could be a good investment for the country. *