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  4. May 2020
  5. Linguistic Traits and Human Capital Formation

Linguistic Traits and Human Capital Formation

  • Oded Galor
  • Ömer Özak
  • Assaf Sarid
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 110, May 2020
(pp. 309-13)
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Abstract

This research establishes the influence of linguistic traits on human behavior. Exploiting variations in the languages spoken by children of migrants with identical ancestral countries of origin, the analysis indicates that the presence of periphrastic future tense and its association with long-term orientation has a significant positive impact on educational attainment, whereas the presence of sex-based grammatical gender, and its association with gender bias, has a significant adverse impact on female educational attainment.

Citation

Galor, Oded, Ömer Özak, and Assaf Sarid. 2020. "Linguistic Traits and Human Capital Formation." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 110: 309-13. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20201069

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • I26 Returns to Education
  • J15 Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
  • J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
  • J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
  • I26 Returns to Education
  • J15 Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
  • J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination