Research on the effect of language skills on earnings is complicated by the endogeneity of language skills. This study exploits the phenomenon that younger children learn languages more easily than older children to construct an instrumental variable for language proficiency. We find a significant positive effect of English proficiency on wages among adults who immigrated to the U.S. as children. Much of this impact appears to be mediated through education. Differences between non-English-speaking origin countries and English-speaking ones that might make immigrants from the latter a poor control group for nonlanguage age-at-arrival effects do not drive these findings. (JEL J61, J24, J31) 1
Are U.S. immigrants' English proficiency and social outcomes the result of their cultural preferences, or of more fundamental constraints? Using 2000 Census microdata, we relate immigrants' English proficiency, marriage, fertility and residential location variables to their age at arrival in the U.S., and in particular whether that age fell within the "critical period" of language acquisition. We interpret the differences between younger and older arrivers as effects of English-language skills and construct an instrumental variable for English-language skills. Two-stage-least-squares estimates suggest that English proficiency increases the likelihood of divorce and intermarriage. It decreases fertility and, for some, ethnic enclave residence. (JEL J24, J12, J13, J61)The increase in immigration to the United States in recent decades, much of it from nonEnglish-speaking countries, has drawn attention to the role of English-language skills in immigrant assimilation. 1 There is evidence that English proficiency helps immigrants integrate economically into their new home-English proficiency raises wages, narrowing the wage gap between immigrants and U.S. natives. Less studied is whether sounding more "American" makes immigrants act more American as well. (Section I.A discusses the related literature.) This study addresses the connection between English proficiency and social integration.The relationship between English proficiency and social assimilation among immigrants is a controversial topic in contemporary society. A commonplace hypothesis-often stated as fact -is that these variables are interrelated solely because of the culture or preferences of the immigrants themselves; that is, they choose not to integrate into U.S. society and they choose not to learn English. On the other side of the coin is the view that poor English proficiency is a constraint that impedes assimilation. In the present study, we examine this latter channel by quantifying the impact of English proficiency on marriage, fertility and residential location choices.Understanding the effects of English proficiency on social outcomes also has important policy implications. Children of immigrants comprise a large and growing share of the U.S. population -in 2002, they made up 18.7% of the U.S. population under 18 (Randy Capps, Michael Fix and Jane Reardon-Anderson, 2003)-and their lower average education and earnings in adulthood have aroused concern. 2 Better knowledge about the family and neighborhood environment in which the children of immigrants grow up should improve our ability to design 1 The 2000 U.S. Census showed that 10.4 percent of the U.S. population is foreign born, up from 7.9 percent in 1990. Moreover, the 2000 U.S. Census also indicated that 47 million U.S. residents (age 5 and over) spoke a language other than English at home and 21 million spoke English less than fluently. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptAm Econ J Appl Econ. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 January 28. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Autho...
In 2000 Census microdata, various outcomes of second-generation immigrants are related to their parents' age at arrival in the United States, and in particular whether that age fell within the "critical period" of language acquisition. We interpret this as an effect of the parents' Englishlanguage skills and construct an instrumental variable for parental English proficiency. Estimates of the effect of parents' English-speaking proficiency using two-stage least squares yield significant, positive results for children's English-speaking proficiency and preschool attendance, and significant, negative results for dropping out of high school and being below age-appropriate grade. (JEL J13, J24, J62)
Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. www.econstor.eu Terms of use: Documents in D I S C U S S I O N P A P E R S E R I E S ABSTRACTThe Returns to English-Language Skills in India * India's colonial legacy and linguistic diversity give English an important role in its economy, and this role has expanded due to globalization in recent decades. It is widely believed that there are sizable economic returns to English-language skills in India, but the extent of these returns is unknown due to lack of a microdata set containing measures of both earnings and English ability. In this paper, we use a newly available data set -the India Human Development Survey, 2005 -to quantify the effects of English-speaking ability on wages. We find that being fluent in English (compared to not speaking any English) increases hourly wages of men by 34%, which is as much as the return to completing secondary school and half as much as the return to completing a Bachelor's degree. Being able to speak a little English significantly increases male hourly wages 13%. There is considerable heterogeneity in returns to English. More experienced and more educated workers receive higher returns to English. The complementarity between English skills and education appears to have strengthened over time. Only the more educated among young workers earn a premium for English skill, whereas older workers across all education groups do.JEL Classification: J31, J24, O15
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