社会科学系大卒者の英語力と経済的地位  [in Japanese] English Proficiency and Economic Status of Social Science Graduates  [in Japanese]

English language is widely used in various international situations, and is recognized as a de facto world standard. It is regarded as the most beneficial foreign language for Japanese to learn, since Japan's economy depends on close business interactions with other countries. It seems that recently, English has become so important that without it, people may be effectively barred from positions of high status and social influence. This study examines the English proficiency of social science department graduates from one of Japan's national universities, and also explores its effects on their earnings and promotions, using a set of questionnaire data. By applying factor analysis to several items, a representative variable of practical English ability is created. Other new variables, such as examination scores in liberal arts and majors, and the average rate of the class attendance, are used as indicators of students' academic achievements. Extra-curricular activities are also referred to as social aptitude. The ordinary least squares, instrumental variables and ordered-probit methods are used to estimate the importance of English in determining earnings and promotions. It is statistically confirmed that English proficiency has a great positive impact on job promotions and earnings. This indicates that differences in English ability may result in inequality in terms of earnings and economic status in Japan. In addition, it is estimated that academic achievement in university has a positive correlation with future posting. This is contrary to what people commonly believe in Japan. On the other hand, extra-curricular activities do not seem to have any significant impacts on career.