This volume articulates a new framework for language policy research that explores the connections between language policy and political economy. The chapters are united in their focus on English, a language that has enjoyed a reputation as a "global language" over the course of the last century and that is perceived as a tool for socioeconomic mobility. The book argues that adopting a new, political economic approach to language policy research will enhance our ability to provide more consistent explanations about the status, functions, benefits, and limitations of English in its various roles in non-English dominant countries.

The book poses the questions: Does English serve as a "lingua franca" and does it advance the interests of sustainable economic and social development in low-income countries? Written by leading experts in language policy research, the chapters reveal the myriad and complex ways in which government leaders, policymakers, and communities make decisions about the languages that will be taught as subjects or used as media of instruction in schools. English is often advertised as a social "good" with unquestioned instrumental value, yet access to quality English-medium education in low-income countries tends to be restricted to those with sufficient economic means to pay for it. As the capitalist world economy continues to change and grow, and assuming that translation technologies continue to improve, it is likely that the roles and relative importance of English as a global language will change significantly. Assessing the costs and benefits of acquiring English therefore takes on increased urgency. The book argues that a political economic approach is particularly appropriate in this endeavor, as it takes into account theories and empirical findings from a range of disciplines in order to assess and explain real-world phenomena that do not fit neatly into boxes labeled "economic," "social," "political" or "cultural."

Together, the chapters in this volume argue for a new direction in language policy studies-grounded in political economy - that will explain why English has been experienced as both a blessing and curse in different parts of the world, why English continues to be useful as a lingua franca for particular sectors of the global economy, and why it is a detriment to economic development in many low-income countries. The book will be invaluable to language policy scholars, policy-makers, and educators, significantly advancing research in this important field.

Thomas Ricento's profile page

Thomas Ricento is Professor and Research Chair at the University of Calgary, Canada. He has published widely in the field of language policy and on the politics of language in North America. He was a Fulbright Professor in Colombia (1989) and Costa Rica (2000), and a visiting professor at universities in Chile, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland. He was Director of English Language Programs at the Japan Center for Michigan Universities, Hikone, Japan from 1989-1991.

"The book contributes to the demythologisation of an 'English-only' remedy for the world's communication problems. It offers perspectives from linguistic economy, political theory, sociology, English, and education studies, and presents a broad range of research methods."

--Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

"Language Policy and Political Economy is superbly conceived and executed, rewarding readers as both a coherent collective and in individual essays. It was an utmost pleasure to read... Each of the authors needs to be commended for taking the stances they have and for speaking in unison about political economy and global English. Ricento is to be commended for bringing together ideas that are fundamental to who we are as humans and to what our ideals of equality ought to look like. Quite simply, this volume was a treat to review."

--Journal of Sociolinguistics

"In an era where language change and loss is often explained by reference to inevitable forces of 'culture' and 'globalization,' this important book brings us back home to core questions of economic power and political control."

--Allan Luke, Queensland University of Technology

"Language Policy and Political Economy is both timely and important, engaging with the debates that are central to current language policy research. I don't think anyone will be able to write about 'global English' again without seriously engaging with the analyses in this book."

--James Tollefson, The University of Hong Kong

"Tom Ricento and the stellar cast of scholars he has assembled in this book achieve something extraordinary: they construct a story that people will still have to read decades later, on an object characterized paradoxically by extremely rapid and radical change. It is an intellectual and academic 'tour de force' which focuses on mechanisms and structures rather than on phenomena and anecdotes, and so easily transcends the level of here-and-now documentation."

--Jan Blommaert, Tilburg University

"The editor and contributors are to be congratulated for forging a new approach to language policy and the role of English in the world. They also rightly question the widely shared view that the global spread of English is overwhelmingly positive."

--CHOICE