Rules and incentives in language policy and planning: Economic, legal, and sociolinguistic approaches

“Rules and incentives in language policy and planning: Economic, legal, and sociolinguistic approaches” is held at Andrassy-Universität Budapest and Nemzeti Közszolgálati Egyetem (University of Public Service), Budapest, on June 15, 16, and 17. See the detailed program. The symposium is the fourth such conference of REAL, Research group “Economics, policy analysis, and language”, an international network of researchers hosted at Ulster University. The Symposium is organized by the two universities in Budapest in co-operation with the Centre for Public Administration – School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences, Ulster University and the Inštitut za narodnostna vprašanja (Institute for ethnic studies), Ljubljana.

Language policy involves the treatment of linguistic minorities in multilingual societies, but also concerns, for instance, the teaching of (foreign) languages in schools, how to approach language problems related to migration, trade, and international organizations (like the European Union), as well as the standardization of vocabulary and grammar of official languages. Language policy is but one form of public policy that in many countries finds its basis in constitutions, laws, decrees, or simply tradition.

The contributions in the symposium compare and scrutinize, both empirically and theoretically, the role that rules and incentives play in determining the outcomes of different policies and compare the outcomes to the (real or publicly expressed) objectives of the policy maker.

Two keynote addresses, delivered by Professor Ainoa Aparicio Fenoll from the University of Turin and by the special rapporteur of the United Nations on minority issues, Professor Fernand de Varennes, critically discuss, in the first case, the connection between migration and languages taught at school and, in the second case, human rights aspects of linguistic diversity and current policies thereabout in different countries.

Other contributions from experts from North America and over ten different European countries touch upon the same aspects, but also on such issues as the politics of language, standardization and variety of languages, education and language, as well as linguistic justice and minorities.

To register, please send an informal email to Dr Michele Gazzola (m.gazzola@ulster.ac.uk) and Professor Bengt-Arne Wickström (bengt-arne.wickstroem@andrassyuni.hu) before June 10.

Press representatives are welcome to report from the symposium.