This paper explores the impact of Spanish language proficiency on immigrant earnings in Spain using an instrumental variable quantile regression approach. The impact is on average roughly 17.2% but varies substantially across the earning distribution. The return to destination language proficiency actually ranges from zero at the bottom quantiles to 30% at the top quantile of the earning distribution. These findings suggest that the benefits derived from host language knowledge are particularly important among individuals with stronger unobserved abilities and marketable skills and that language training policies targeted at specific immigrant population categories may be ineffective from a labor market earning perspective. JEL Classification: F22, J24, J61

The Impact of Language Proficiency on Immigrants' Earnings in Spain *This article uses micro-data from the Spanish National Immigrant Survey to investigate the impact of Spanish language proficiency on immigrants' earnings. The results, based on Instrumental Variables (IV), point to a substantial earnings return to Spanish proficiency, of approximately 27%. This figure varies largely across educational groups, with high-qualified workers earning a premium of almost 50%. This conspicuous complementarity between formal qualifications and language skills poses a challenge for traditional language training policies, for these typically neglect the immigrants' heterogeneous educational background.

the main goal of this article is to investigate the rates of delay discounting among obese people treated surgically and belonging to an association of those interested in controlling their weight. We also analyze whether socio-economic status and personality traits explain the existing differences. rates of delay discounting are elicited using real monetary incentives in an economic experiment where subjects are asked to make several choices between a smaller, more immediate reward and larger, more delayed rewards. personality traits are examined using the Five Factor model. interestingly, our results show that obese people display lower discount rates than the reference group. these differences can not be explained by personality traits. We argue that obese people do not have to show larger discount rates. in fact, awareness and commitment, rather than their current body mass index, seem to play a more important role in determining this parameter. KeywordSDelay discounting; experimental and behavioral economics; Obesity. reSumen el objetivo principal de este artículo es investigar las tasas de descuento temporal entre los individuos obesos tratados quirúrgicamente y que pertenecen a una asociación de personas interesadas en controlar su peso. también se analiza si el nivel socio-económico y los rasgos de la personalidad explican las diferencias existentes. las tasas de descuento diferido se obtuvieron utilizando los incentivos monetarios reales en un experimento económico donde a los sujetos se les pide elegir entre una menor y más inmediata recompensa o una recompensa mayor diferida. los rasgos de personalidad son examinados usando el modelo de cinco factores. Curiosamente, nuestros resultados muestran que las personas obesas muestran tasa de descuento menores al grupo de referencia. estas diferencias no pueden explicarse por los rasgos de personalidad. Nosotros sostenemos que la gente obesa no debería mostrar mayores tasas de descuento. De hecho, la conciencia y el compromiso, en lugar de su actual índice de masa corporal, parecen desempeñar un papel más importante en la determinación de este parámetro. reviSta internacionaL de SocioLogía (riS)Special Issue on Behavioral and Experimental Economics Vol. 70, extra 1, 83-98, PaLaBraS cLaveDescuento temporal; economía experimental y del Comportamiento; Obesidad.

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