Full Citation

Title: Language Skills and Evidence: Evidence from Childhood Immigrants

Citation Type: Working Paper

Publication Year: 2003

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Abstract: 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 non-language age-at-arrival effects do not drive these findings.

Url: https://ccis.ucsd.edu/_files/wp87.pdf

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Authors: Bleakley, Hoyt

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Publication Number: 87

Institution: University of California, San Diego

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Publisher Location: San Diego

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Education, Migration and Immigration

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