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4 - Evaluating Language Policy and Planning

An Introduction to the Economic Approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2020

By
Michele Gazzola ,
François Grin  and
François Vaillancourt
Edited by
Cécile B. Vigouroux  and
Salikoko S. Mufwene
Cécile B. Vigouroux
Affiliation:
Simon Fraser University, British Columbia
Salikoko S. Mufwene
Affiliation:
University of Chicago
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Summary

This chapter focuses on the contributions of economists to the selection, design, and evaluation of language policies, particularly since the late 1970s. We show how to perform status analysis using available data on earnings, language skills, language of work, and language of consumption. Then, we turn to the evaluation of the costs and benefits of language policy measures. We add a section on the use of stylized data, an approach common in economic theoretical modeling and empirical evaluation. Finally, this chapter discusses some challenges in understanding the role of economic processes in language issues.

Keywords

Returns to language skillslanguage policy evaluationcounterfactual analysiseffectivenessefficiencycost-effectivenessfairnesscosts and benefits of language policylanguage regimeintellectual property rights
Type
Chapter
Information
Bridging Linguistics and Economics , pp. 109 - 139
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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