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Common Tongue: The Impact of Language on Educational Outcomes

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  • Jain, Tarun

Abstract

This article investigates the impact of official language policies on education using state formation in India. Colonial provinces consisted of some districts where the official language matched the district's language and some where it did not. Linguistically mismatched districts have 18.0 percent lower literacy rates and 20.1 percent lower college graduation rates, driven by difficulty in acquiring education due to a different medium of instruction in schools. Educational achievement caught up in mismatched districts after the 1956 reorganization of Indian states on linguistic lines, suggesting that political reorganization can mitigate the impact of mismatched language policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Jain, Tarun, 2017. "Common Tongue: The Impact of Language on Educational Outcomes," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 77(2), pages 473-510, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:77:y:2017:i:02:p:473-510_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Hannum, Emily & Wang, Fan, 2022. "Fewer, better pathways for all? Intersectional impacts of rural school consolidation in China’s minority regions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    2. Fenske, James & Kala, Namrata, 2021. "Linguistic Distance and Market Integration in India," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 81(1), pages 1-39, March.
    3. Francisco J Beltrán Tapia & Alfonso Díez-Minguela & Alicia Gómez-Tello & Julio Martinez-Galarraga & Daniel A Tirado-Fabregats, 2024. "Local institutions and human capital formation in pre-industrial societies: evidence from Valencia," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 28(2), pages 135-162.
    4. Miyamoto, Tomohisa & Bedi, Arjun S., 2024. "English Language Premium in a Marriage Market: Experimental Evidence from Delhi," IZA Discussion Papers 17366, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Bernhofer, Juliana & Tonin, Mirco, 2022. "The effect of the language of instruction on academic performance," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    6. Binzel, Christine & Link, Andreas & Ramachandran, Rajesh, 2021. "Language, Knowledge, and Growth: Evidence from Early Modern Europe," CEPR Discussion Papers 15454, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Yuki, Kazuhiro, 2024. "Language education and economic outcomes in a bilingual society," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    8. Victor Ginsburgh & Shlomo Weber, 2020. "The Economics of Language," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 58(2), pages 348-404, June.
    9. Matteo Gomellini & Cormac Ó Gráda, 2019. "Brain Drain and Brain Gain in Italy and Ireland in the Age of Mass Migration," Palgrave Studies in Economic History, in: David Mitch & Gabriele Cappelli (ed.), Globalization and the Rise of Mass Education, chapter 0, pages 163-191, Palgrave Macmillan.
    10. Tarun Jain & Abhiroop Mukhopadhyay & Nishith Prakash & Raghav Rakesh, 2022. "Science education and labor market outcomes in a developing economy," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 60(2), pages 741-763, April.
    11. Beyer, Robert C.M. & Jain, Tarun & Sinha, Sonalika, 2023. "Lights out? COVID-19 containment policies and economic activity," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    12. Pooja Nakamura & Adria Molotsky & Rosa Castro Zarzur & Varsha Ranjit & Yasmina Haddad & Thomas De Hoop, 2023. "Language of instruction in schools in low‐ and middle‐income countries: A systematic review," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(4), December.
    13. Roychowdhury, Punarjit, 2021. "(Em)Powered by Science? Estimating the Relative Labor Market Returns to Majoring in Science in High School in India," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    14. Jain, Tarun & Mukhopadhyay, Abhiroop & Prakash, Nishith & Rakesh, Raghav, 2018. "Labor Market Effects of High School Science Majors in a High STEM Economy," IZA Discussion Papers 11934, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Francisco J. Beltrán Tapia & Alfonso Díez-Minguela & Alicia Gómez-Tello & Julio Martinez-Galarraga & Daniel A. Tirado-Fabregat, 2021. "Structural change and the income of nations," UB School of Economics Working Papers 2021/414, University of Barcelona School of Economics.
    16. Francisco J. Beltrán Tapia & Alfonso Díez-Minguela & Julio Martinez-Galarraga & Daniel A. Tirado-Fabregat, 2020. "Lordships, state capacity and beyond: literacy rates in mid-nineteenth-century Valencia," Working Papers 0196, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).

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