Language learning and communicative benefits

Efthymios Athanasiou (), Juan Moreno-Ternero and Shlomo Weber ()
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Shlomo Weber: Southern Methodist University, USA y New Economic School, Moscow, Russia

No 15.09, Working Papers from Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Department of Economics

Abstract: In this chapter we examine how economic variables impact linguistic diversity and language acquisition. The economic variables in our setting are represented by communicative benefits introduced by Selten and Pool (1991) which subsumes both private monetary rewards and `pure communicative' benefits of exposure and access to different cultures. The communicative benefits are positively correlated with the number of others with whom individuals can communicate by using one of her spoken languages. Economic examples of communicative benefits are evident in trade, labor market, and migration. We examine the empirical and theoretical literature on language acquisition Nash equilibria and offer an extensive efficiency analysis by using both positive and normative approaches. We also examine various public policies that could enhance the efficiency of selected outcomes.

Keywords: language learning; communicative benefits; language acquisition Nash equilibrium; assignment efficiency; minimal disenfranchisement. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C72 D62 D63 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 24 pages
Date: 2015-06
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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