The words that keep people apart: official language and accountability

Adelaide Baronchelli, Alessandra Foresta and Roberto Ricciuti

Journal of Institutional Economics, 2025, vol. 21, -

Abstract: This paper examines how the distance between a country’s official language and the languages spoken by its citizens influences accountability. Two arguments support this relationship: first, the role of language as a tool for communication between elites and citizens; and second, its role in shaping cultural patterns that underpin social interactions. Using a dataset of 147 countries, we reveal a consistent negative correlation between linguistic distance and levels of accountability across all measures. Higher educational attainment can mitigate the negative impact of a foreign official language on accountability.

Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cup:jinsec:v:21:y:2025:i::p:-_35

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