The determinants of Spanish language proficiency among immigrants in Spain

This article uses micro-data from the Spanish National Immigrant Survey (Encuesta Nacional de Inmigrantes-ENI in Spanish) carried out in 2007 among immigrants in Spain. In recent years, Spain has received unprecedented immigration flows. A substantial number of immigrants cannot communicate adequately in the language of the country to which they immigrate. Among the multiple reasons for the lack of host language proficiency one can distinguish factors such as a low level of educational attainment, not having been provided with adequate opportunities to learn the host language, living in ethnic enclaves or having arrived at an older age. Language skills (including oral and written ability) play a crucial role in the determination of the immigrants’ social and economic integration in the host country. As a consequence, analyzing the source of foreign language acquisition is crucial for understanding the immigrants’ economic, social and political involvement. The results show that an increase in educational attainment is associated with a higher level of Spanish spoken proficiency. Language ability is also associated with the country or region of origin. The results show that immigrant men and women from the Maghreb and Asia, as well as men from Eastern Europe and Sub Saharan Africa show a significantly weaker command over spoken Spanish than Western Europeans.N/

The shadow value of employer-provided training

This paper adopts an equivalent income approach to calculate the economic value of training activities for workers. Using econometric regression analysis of individual self-reported job satisfaction (JS) and data from the European Community Household Panel dataset (ECHP), the paper shows that employer-provided training exerts a positive and significant effect on JS. On average, this effect is equivalent to a 17.7% increase in labour earnings. Boes and Winkelmann’s (2009) Generalized Ordered Probit for panel data is used to show that the determinants of JS as well as the equivalent income of training differ across the JS distribution.N/

Cuando las personas obesas son más pacientes que las personas no obesas. Un estudio post-quirúrgico de individuos en una asociación de pérdida de peso

The main goal of this article is to investigate the rates of delay discounting among obese people treated surgically and belonging to an association of those interested in controlling their weight. We also analyze whether socio-economic status and personality traits explain the existing differences. rates of delay discounting are elicited using real monetary incentives in an economic experiment where subjects are asked to make several choices between a smaller, more immediate reward and larger, more delayed rewards. personality traits are examined using the Five Factor model. interestingly, our results show that obese people display lower discount rates than the reference group. these differences can not be explained by personality traits. We argue that obese people do not have to show larger discount rates. in fact, awareness and commitment, rather than their current bmi, seem to play a more important role in determining this parameter.El objetivo principal de este artículo es investigar las tasas de descuento temporal entre los individuos obesos tratados quirúrgicamente y que pertenecen a una asociación de personas interesadas en controlar su peso. también se analiza si el nivel socio-económico y los rasgos de la personalidad explican las diferencias existentes. las tasas de descuento diferido se obtuvieron utilizando los incentivos monetarios reales en un experimento económico donde a los sujetos se les pide elegir entre una menor y más inmediata recompensa o una recompensa mayor diferida. los rasgos de personalidad son examinados usando el modelo de cinco factores. Curiosamente, nuestros resultados muestran que las personas obesas muestran tasa de descuento menores al grupo de referencia. estas diferencias no pueden explicarse por los rasgos de personalidad. Nosotros sostenemos que la gente obesa no debería mostrar mayores tasas de descuento. De hecho, la conciencia y el compromiso, en lugar de su actual índice de masa corporal, parecen jugar un papel más importante en la determinación de este parámetro

The impact of education and host language skills on the labor market outcomes of immigrants in Spain. 'El impacto de la educación y las habilidades en lengua española en los resultados de la inserción laboral de los inmigrantes en España'

Resumen basado en el de la publicaciónEspaña está recibiendo flujos de inmigración sin precedentes. La asimilación económica de los inmigrantes es crucial para mantener una sociedad cohesionada y estable. El nivel de educación y habilidad en el idioma de destino son dos componentes esenciales en la determinación de la situación económica de los inmigrantes. Se analiza el impacto del dominio de la lengua española y el nivel de escolarización en la la naturaleza de la participación de los inmigrantes en el mercado laboral y sus ingresos. Los resultados indican que el nivel educativo y mayor competencia en el idioma conducen a un aumento en la probabilidad de tener un trabajo a tiempo completo. Por el contrario, no hay impacto significativo de la escolarización y competencia lingüistica en los ingresos.NavarraUniversidad de Navarra. Biblioteca; 31080 Pamplona; +34948425600; +3494817731080; [email protected]

The impact of Spanish language proficiency on the labor market outcomes of immigrants in Spain

This article uses micro-data from the Spanish National Immigrant Survey (Encuesta Nacional de Inmigrantes-ENI in Spanish) carried out in 2007 among immigrants in Spain. In recent years, Spain has received unprecedented immigration flows. The economic assimilation of immigrants is crucial for keeping a cohesive and stable society, especially under the particular circumstances of Spain. As a consequence, immigrants need to invest in human capital since it plays a crucial role in determining their economic status. Educational attainment and destination language ability are two essential components of human capital of migrants. As a result, the immigrants’ labor market participation and their earnings are closely mediated by their host language proficiency and level of schooling. We carry out an analysis of the impact of Spanish language ability on the likelihood of full-time employment and earnings among immigrants in Spain. The results indicate that educational attainment and belonging to a higher Spanish speaking proficiency category both lead to an increase in the probability of holding a full-time job. In contrast, there is no significant impact of schooling and host language ability on earnings.N/