dc.description.abstract | English is a pervasive language in today’s world, a
nd empire, war, and Hollywood are sociocultural ways in which English has asserted its
influence. No matter what country you live in
you are bound to be exposed to it in some way, most likely on a daily basis. The genesis of English as the world’s lingua franca
has been a long and complicated process, but the
language’s continuing importance cannot be denied.
The role that economics has played in
English’s ascent as a world language is little disc
ussed, but significant. Likewise, little has
been written of the effects of English proficiency,
namely English as a second language, on
economic growth. Establishing causation for this re
lationship is a delicate matter and will be
investigated through the course of this paper. The
outline of this paper is as follows. After a brief history of the ascent of English, an inquiry
into the economic basis for English as a lingua franca ensues. The result of this indicates that in addition to socio-cultural forces
English possesses an unparalleled economic might. Next, the effects of English proficiency on national prosperity are observed through various
mechanisms. The results suggest positive
effects of English proficiency on GDP per capita with varying degrees of significance
depending on the dataset. A study of sub-Saharan Af
rica then makes the case that English has
little effect there. Finally, a discussion section
attempts to tie the data together positing that
English proficiency has greater economic effect in
developed nations than in developing ones. | nb_NO |