Markets and linguistic diversity

Ramon Caminal

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2010, vol. 76, issue 3, 774-790

Abstract: Abstract Producers of cultural goods and media products can make their specific contents available to their audiences and readerships only through a particular language. The choice of language is a non-trivial decision in markets with bilingual or multilingual consumers. In this paper I argue that, the very existence of bilingual consumers may seriously bias market outcomes against minority languages. In particular, I show that the level of linguistic diversity determined by profit maximizing firms tends to be inefficiently low, except when and where the cost of producing a second linguistic version becomes sufficiently low. Thus, the model provides an efficiency argument supporting policies that protect the presence of minority languages in these markets.

Keywords: Product; variety; Language; Translation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (20)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Markets and linguistic diversity (2015)
Working Paper: Markets and Linguistic Diversity (2010)
Working Paper: Markets and linguistic diversity (2009)
Working Paper: Markets and linguistic diversity (2009)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:76:y:2010:i:3:p:774-790

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