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Why North Korean Refugees are Reluctant to Compete: The Roles of Cognitive Ability

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  • Syngjoo Choi
  • Byung-Yeon Kim
  • Jungmin Lee
  • Sokbae Lee

Abstract

The study compares the competitiveness of three Korean groups raised in different institutional environments: South Korea, North Korea, and China. Laboratory experiments reveal that North Korean refugees are less likely to participate in competitive tournaments than South Koreans and Korean-Chinese immigrants. Analysis using a choice model with probability weighting suggests that lower cognitive ability may lead to lower expected performance, more pessimistic beliefs, and greater aversion to competition.

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  • Syngjoo Choi & Byung-Yeon Kim & Jungmin Lee & Sokbae Lee, 2021. "Why North Korean Refugees are Reluctant to Compete: The Roles of Cognitive Ability," Papers 2108.08097, arXiv.org, revised Aug 2023.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2108.08097
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