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Department of Economics Seminar with Professor Thomas Buser, University of Amsterdam A competitive world
Abstract: We provide the first globally representative evidence on the nature and socialization of competitiveness, drawing on survey data from 66,785 individuals across 62 countries. The data were collected through a novel survey module fielded in the 2022 Gallup World Poll, which measures individuals' willingness to compete and their views on whether children — randomly described as boys or girls — should be encouraged to compete. We document striking global regularities: in all but one country, men are more willing to compete than women, and the willingness to compete is positively associated with income, education, confidence, and risk tolerance in nearly every country. At the same time, we find large cross-country variation in both competitiveness and its socialization, which we link systematically to inequality and gender norms. In more unequal countries, individuals are more likely to value competitiveness in themselves and in children. Gender gaps in socialization vary with gender equality, reinforcing gender differences where equality is low and counteracting them where it is high. Finally, we provide quasi-causal evidence that exposure to economic and gender inequality during adolescence has a lasting impact on adult competitiveness and attitudes toward socialization. Taken together, our findings offer new insights into the behavioral foundations and formative roots of competitiveness across societies.