Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP15770
Authors: Jorge Alcalde Unzu; Juan D. Morenoternero; Shlomo Weber
Abstract: We address the problem of assessing the value of a language. We consider a stylized model of multilingual societies in which we introduce axioms formalizing the principles of impartiality, monotonicity, invariance and consistency. We show that the combination of these axioms characterizes a family of communicative benefit functions which assign a value to each language in the society. The functions within the family involve a two-step procedure. First, they identify the groups of agents that can communicate in each language. Second, each group is assigned an aggregate (size-dependent) value, which is evenly divided among the languages in which the group can communicate. Our novel approach could be useful in a wide range of empirical applications and policy decisions.
Keywords: value of a language; communicative benefits; measure; axioms; characterization
JEL Codes: C72; D62; D63; Z13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Language acquisition (Y80) | Improved job opportunities (J68) |
| Language acquisition (Y80) | Earnings (J31) |
| Linguistic policies (J88) | Economic development (O29) |
| Language acquisition (Y80) | Economic decisions (N00) |