The words that keep people apart: official language and accountability
研究了147个国家中官方语言与民众母语的距离如何影响问责制，发现语言距离越大问责水平越低，而教育可以缓解这一负面效应。
Abstract This paper examines how the distance between a country’s official language and the languages spoken by its citizens influences accountability. Two arguments support this relationship: first, the role of language as a tool for communication between elites and citizens; and second, its role in shaping cultural patterns that underpin social interactions. Using a dataset of 147 countries, we reveal a consistent negative correlation between linguistic distance and levels of accountability across all measures. Higher educational attainment can mitigate the negative impact of a foreign official language on accountability.