Overview
- Offers a detailed and original look at the role language plays within international and local economic systems
- Examines the impact of linguistic diversity on economic outcomes and public policies
- Analyses the evolution of different languages and the economic consequences of linguistic diversity
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About this book
This revised and updated handbook brings together methodological, theoretical, and empirical studies in the economics of language. With contributions from leading researchers, it examines the impact of linguistic diversity on economic outcomes and public policies. The interdependence of language and culture is highlighted through an analysis of the evolution of different languages and the economic consequences of linguistic diversity, as well as the impact of language on consumer behavior and the creation of gendered economic structures. Particularly attention is given to the impact of languages on macroeconomics, including the relationship between language and trade, and language and migrations. The challenge of globalization to minority languages and the growth of multilingual societies is also discussed, alongside the specific dynamics between economics and language at a regional level. It also addresses new developments in LLM (large language models).
This book offers a detailed and original look at the role language plays within international and local economic systems. It will be of interest to students and researchers interested in the economics of language.
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Table of contents (22 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Linguistic Diversity: Origins and Measurement
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Front Matter
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Languages and Economic Decisions
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Front Matter
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The Macroeconomic Impact of Languages
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Front Matter
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Linguistic Globalization
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Front Matter
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Reviews
"This volume represents an encounter between two established but usually quite separate human sciences, economics and linguistics. It contains new and often surprising insights that will greatly profit students of the many topics being discussed by a multifarious array of contributors.” (Abram de Swaan, Professor Emeritus, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and author of Words of the World: The Global Language System)
“The already-impressive breadth of topics, regions, methodologies, regions of the world, theoretical perspectives, and countries covered in the first edition has been dramatically expanded through the substantive expansion of previous chapters and the addition of new ones. Analyses of important recent developments such as large language models, new concepts around the value of language in a range of domains, and the role of language in marketing and business strategies now supplement such traditional concerns as the role of language policies, how language shapes migrant decision-making and experiences, and gendered aspects of language. The volume will serve as an invaluable resource for scholars and students in any social science discipline who wish to get up to speed on either long-standing areas of scholarship on economic, social, political, and cognitive aspects of language or cutting-age, innovative approaches in language-related research.” (Theodore P. Gerber, Conway-Bascom Professor of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, US)
“Economists often build on the wealth of knowledge and insights of other social sciences, and bring their empirical and theoretical skills. This handbook covers the huge strides on the economics of language of the last six decades since Jacob Marshak published his pioneering work. … We should be very grateful to Shlomo Weber for producing a new and enriched version of the handbook, with new topics such as LLMs, language policies, or the link between linguistics and specific geopolitical evolutions. Not only does this handbook keep us updated, but it also allows us to engage in social science fiction, and conjecture what will happen (or not) with the ubiquitous presence of connected translation. A must read for scholars well beyond the confines of this field.” (Jean Tirole, Professor, Toulouse School of Economics, France, and 2014 Nobel laureate)
“An impressively comprehensive and up-to date overview of the state of the art in a fast expanding and remarkably diverse field. From the impact of linguistic differences on economic thinking to the impact of linguistic proficiency on economic success, a firework of novel insights and useful references.” (Philippe Van Parijs, Emeritus Professor at the University of Louvain, Belgium, former Director of the Hoover Chair in Economics and Social Ethics, and author of “Linguistic Justice for Europe and for the World”)
Editors and affiliations
About the editors
Shlomo Weber is the Founding Dean at the School of Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences, New Uzbekistan University, Uzbekistan, and Professor Emeritus at the Southern Methodist University, USA.
Victor Ginsburgh is Honorary Professor of Economics at the University of Brussels, Belgium.
Accessibility information
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EPUB accessibility summary
This EPUB is designed with accessibility in mind, aiming to meet the EPUB Accessibility 1.1 and WCAG 2.2 Level AA standards. It features a navigable table of contents, structured headings, and alternative text for images, ensuring smooth, intuitive navigation and comprehension. The text is reflowable and resizable, with sufficient contrast. We recognize the importance of accessibility, and we welcome queries about accessibility for any of our products. If you have a question or an access need, please get in touch with us via https://www.springernature.com/gp/info/accessibility
Bibliographic information
Book title: The Palgrave Handbook of Economics and Language
Editors: Shlomo Weber, Victor Ginsburgh
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-88240-1
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook packages: Economics and Finance, Economics and Finance (R0)
Copyright information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-88239-5Published: 07 January 2026
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-88242-5Due: 21 January 2027
eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-88240-1Published: 06 January 2026
Edition number: 2
Number of pages: XXIX, 642
Number of illustrations: 22 b/w illustrations
Topics: Economics, general, Applied Linguistics, Macroeconomics/Monetary Economics//Financial Economics, Political Economy/Economic Systems
Keywords
- Macroeconomic impact of languages
- Economics of language
- Socioeconomic development
- Economic decisions
- Whorfian economics
- Dynamic models of language evolution
- Social diversity
- Linguistic diversity
- Value of languages
- Language and trade
- Language and migration
- Economics of linguistic barriers
- Socioeconomics of translation
- Economics of dictionaries
