Returns to Foreign Language Skills in a Developing Country: The Case of Turkey

Paolo, Antonio Di; Tansel, Aysıt

doi:10.2139/ssrn.2349566

Cited by 25 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 120 publications

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“…However, their inclusion still provides suggestive evidence about the role played by job characteristics as mediating factors in a setting of stepwise inclusion of additional controls, as commonly performed in the literature (e.g. Azam et al 2013;Di Paolo and Tansel 2015).…”

Section: Empirical Methodologymentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Moreover, there is a significant conditional correlation between having a high level of English skills and earnings, which is only somewhat reduced when job-related variables and (especially) occupation dummies are included as additional controls. The earnings return to advanced English skills is also robust to the estimation of the joint model that controls for selection into salaried employment, which 5 As commented in Di Paolo and Tansel (2015), the Turkish compulsory school reforms of 1997 and 2012 also increased the presence of English at school. However, our data do not cover individuals affected by these education policies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…As noted above, in this paper we extend the work by Di Paolo and Tansel (2015) by considering the relevance of English skills for labour market outcomes of female workers in Turkey, using data from the Adult Education Survey of 2007. In their work, the authors focused on males in order to minimize problems of endogenous self-selection into employmentpossibly related to the knowledge of foreign languages as well.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Specifically, Casale and Posel (2011) estimated wage equations for African male workers in South Africa and obtained a positive return to reading and writing English very well, which is especially pronounced for those who hold a tertiary education degree. A study by Di Paolo and Tansel (2015) focused on the case of Turkey and contains estimates of economic return to the knowledge of several foreign languages (English, French, German, Russian and Arabic) among male wage earners. They found important effects from the knowledge of English and Russian, whereas German and French appear to be relevant languages in the Turkish labour market only in specific occupations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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English skills, labour market status and earnings of Turkish women

Paolo

Tansel

2019

Empirica

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In this paper, we investigate the effect of the level of English skills on the labour market outcomes of Turkish women, using data from the Adult Education Survey of 2007. By adopting a bivariate equation framework, we jointly model the effect of English skills on labour market status and, conditional on being a wage earner, on monthly earnings and occupational status. The multinomial equation that explains labour market status allows for a different effect of language knowledge on the probability of being employed, unemployed but actively looking for a job, an unpaid family worker or involved in household tasks. The results indicate that being proficient in English is conditionally associated with a higher probability of being employed as a wage earner and, to a lesser extent, unemployed but looking for a job, whereas it decreases the likelihood of being involved in household tasks. Moreover, there is a significant conditional correlation between having a high level of skills in English and earnings, which is only modestly reduced when job-related variables and (especially) occupation dummies are included as additional controls. Indeed, being proficient in English barely affects occupational status when selection into employment status is controlled for. Therefore, the knowledge of foreign languages (in this case English) seems to stimulate labour market participation and earnings capacity, but does not substantially affect the occupational position of women in the Turkish labour market.

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Section: Empirical Methodologymentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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English skills, labour market status and earnings of Turkish women

Paolo

Tansel

2019

Empirica

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“…and Tansel [58] shows that in the Turkish labor market, knowledge of Russian and English as foreign languages, on the average, brings about positive earning differentials for individuals (20 and 10.7%, respectively). These differentials increase with the level of competence.…”

Section: Economic Advantages Of Bilingualismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advantages of Bilingualism and Multilingualism: Multidimensional Research Findings

Chibaka¹

2018

Multilingualism and Bilingualism

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Bilingualism and multilingualism are often perceived and considered as a problem or a major challenge to individual and/or societal development. In most instances, the only advantage recognized for the bilingual individual is the ability to use two or more languages. Beyond that, monolingualism seems more attractive, and monolinguals especially those speaking a language of wider communication seem quite content with their lot, often adopting a condescending attitude toward minority native speakers of a mother tongue who in addition have to acquire their language. Adepts of the ideology of monolingual habitus (one nation, one language) have tended to consider multilingualism and linguistic diversity as a curse and an obstacle to nation building. This chapter argues against the above ideology through a compendium of empirical evidence of advantages of individual bilingualism, societal multilingualism, and linguistic diversity of nations that emerge from research findings in the last several decades.

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Language acquisition and regional innovation: Evidence from English proficiency in China

Chen

2021

Manage Decis Econ

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Language, as an instrument of human thinking and communication, plays a critical role in the process of knowledge formation and innovation cooperation. This paper investigates the impact of English proficiency on regional innovation in China. We find that English proficiency can improve the level of regional innovation, particularly for invention patents. Further channel tests show that English proficiency affects regional innovation by enhancing knowledge acquisition, knowledge creation, and knowledge absorption. Moreover, the policy shock of the 2016 college entrance exam mitigates the positive impact of English proficiency on regional innovation. English proficiency can also effectively enhance regional entrepreneurship.

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Returns to Foreign Language Skills in a Developing Country: The Case of Turkey

Cited by 25 publications

References 120 publications

English skills, labour market status and earnings of Turkish women

English skills, labour market status and earnings of Turkish women

Advantages of Bilingualism and Multilingualism: Multidimensional Research Findings

Language acquisition and regional innovation: Evidence from English proficiency in China

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