RESUMENLa reducción del fracaso escolar constituye uno de los mayores retos a los que se enfrentan los sistemas educativos de España e Italia. En este artículo se investiga la existencia de posibles elementos comunes a ambos países que permitan hablar de un «modelo mediterráneo» de fracaso escolar. Para ello, se aplica un modelo logístico multinivel a los microdatos correspondientes a la competencia lectora proporcionados por PISA-2009. Las variables personales y las características socioeconómicas y culturales del hogar parecen tener un impacto similar en ambos países. Respecto a las variables de centro, Italia y España comparten el fuerte im-

The IEB research group in Human Capital aims at promoting research in the Economics of Education. The main objective of this group is to foster research related to the education and training of individuals and to promote the analysis of education systems and policies from an economic perspective. Some topics are particularly relevant: Evaluation of education and training policies; monetary and non-monetary effects of education; analysis of the international assessments of the skills of the young (PISA, PIRLS, TIMMS) and adult populations (PIAAC, IALS); education and equality, considering the inclusion of the disabled in the education system; and lifelong learning. This group puts special emphasis on applied research and on work that sheds light on policy-design issues. Moreover, research focused in Spain is given special consideration. Disseminating research findings to a broader audience is also an aim of the group. This research group enjoys the support from the IEB-Foundation.The Barcelona Institute of Economics (IEB) is a research centre at the University of Barcelona (UB) which specializes in the field of applied economics. The IEB is a foundation funded by the following institutions: Applus, Abertis, Ajuntament de Barcelona, Diputació de Barcelona, Gas Natural and La Caixa. The IEB working papers represent ongoing research that is circulated to encourage discussion and has not undergone a peer review process. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of IEB. Documents de Treball de l'IEB 2014/12 BARRIERS TO NON-FORMAL PROFESSIONAL TRAINING IN SPAIN IN PERIODS OF ECONOMIC GROWTH AND CRISIS. AN ANALYSIS WITH SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE EFFECT OF THE PREVIOUS HUMAN CAPITAL OF WORKERSJorge Calero, Josep-Oriol Escardíbul ABSTRACT: We analyze the determining factors of access to non-formal professional training in Spain and their evolution in recent years. Specifically, a comparison is made between a moment during a period of economic growth (2007) and the current crisis period (2012). The data used is from the Economically Active Population Survey. The sample is divided according to gender and interaction variables are included to analyze the differential effects of human capital on the probability of receiving training in the two periods considered. The hypothesis is that there are significant barriers that make access to non-formal professional training difficult (we focus on previous human capital available) and that these barriers have not ceased to operate during the economic crisis.JEL Codes: H52, I21

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This paper analyses the impact of teacher gender towards students' test results in a blinded Math test administered to students in Catalonia (Spain). The data for this analysis are drawn from a sample of secondary school students who participated in an international blind-test known as the "Mathematical Kangaroo" in 2008. The estimation considers a two-stage procedure since participation on the test leads to the presence of sample selection. Results show a correlation between female teacher gender and student results. Moreover, students with female teachers have a higher probability of participating in the "Kangaroo" test (in this case, the effect being more marked among male students).JEL Codes: I28, J16

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