December 2nd, 2021 (15:00 - 16:30 Boston | 21:00 - 22:30 Madrid)
Online via Zoom | RSVP: https://bit.ly/RSVP-Observatorio or info-observatory@fas.harvard.edu
Bilingualism has unquestionable personal and cognitive benefits and also serves as an important economic asset for both the individual and society in general. This session will explore some of the key factors that allow us to assess the economic opportunities resulting from growing Spanish-English bilingualism in the U.S., as well as its challenges. The discussion will take into consideration both the direct benefits for individuals—such as, employment opportunities—and the potential indirect benefits of bilingualism for U.S. society as a whole, since it reduces barriers to commerce and investment and facilitates the free exchange of ideas.
Enrique Martínez García, PhD in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, works at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas as a senior research economist and monetary policy advisor. His research is focused on the fields of international macroeconomics and finance, monetary economics, and applied econometrics. María Teresa Martínez García, PhD in Linguistics from the University of Kansas, is assistant professor in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at the University of Utah (Asia campus). Her research focuses on the perception of speech in second languages and on bilingualism.
Language: Spanish