What are the Pecuniary Returns to Foreign Language Acquisition?
Publication Date
4-4-2024
Grant Type
Early Career Research Award
Description
We analyze a large natural experiment to measure the causal effects of foreign language acquisition on employment outcomes—including major and occupation sorting, career trajectory, and wages. To do this, we leverage the quasi-random language assignments for volunteer missionaries by linking data from online employment profiles (LinkedIn) to original survey data on languages assignments. The effects will shed light on language-based differences in the labor market and will inform active policy debates about supporting language acquisition.
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