Working Paper: NBER ID: w10985
Authors: James Levinsohn
Abstract: This paper takes a novel approach to trying to disentangle the impact of globalization on wages by focusing on changes in the return to speaking English, the international language of commerce, in South Africa as that country re-integrated with the global economy after 1993. The paper finds that he return to speaking English increased overall and that within racial groups the return increased primarily for Whites but not for Blacks.
Keywords: globalization; returns to speaking English; South Africa
JEL Codes: F0
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Globalization (F60) | Return to speaking English (Y20) |
| Return to speaking English (Y20) | Wages for English speakers (J31) |
| Affirmative action (J78) | Return to speaking English for blacks (Y50) |
| Return to speaking English for whites (J15) | Wages for whites (J31) |
| Return to speaking English for coloured individuals (Y50) | Wages for coloured individuals (J31) |