Research

Language as a Strategic Choice — Drawing Global Research Talent by Switching to English (Job Market Paper)

Abstract: We show, using a difference-in-difference identification, that introducing English as the official language of instruction in a degree program increases the existing citation count of new faculty hires in Dutch and Belgian universities by 40-66%. These results are robust to a battery of controls including university and time fixed effects as well as university specific time trends. We argue that switching to English reduces labor mobility barriers, allowing universities in non-English speaking countries to recruit from the global talent pool.

Local Language Distance to English: a Hurdle for Academic Success? (PDF)

Abstract: Today, research impact crucially depends on the ability to communicate in English. Local language distance to English, a hurdle for academic success, should adversely impact research performance. In this paper we identify the effect of language distance on a university’s research performance, using Shanghai Ranking indicators. As expected, we find that the further a university’s local language from English, the greater the language disadvantage, and the lower the university’s ranking, even controlling for several potentially confounding factors like international staff proportion and the number of students. Comparing the effect across subjects provides evidence that the relevant mechanism is the ability to successfully publish in English.