@article{ddcc01e14449497c939a53dde0c5681a,
title = "Hate thy communist neighbor: Protestants and politics in South Korea",
abstract = "In this paper we investigate how historical persecution and displacement enable religious organizations to become politically influential. Major churches in South Korea are founded by pastors from what is today North Korea, who were persecuted by the communist regime and defected to the south before the Korean War. We show that Protestants in South Korea profess stronger feelings against the North Korean regime, likely motivated by politically charged sermons and strong church congregant networks. As a case examining the Protestant impact on politics, we document how Protestant voters influenced recent presidential election outcomes in South Korea by supporting the conservative party, whose firm stance against the northern neighbor aligned with the group's own.",
keywords = "Communism, Elections, North Korea, Protestantism, Religion, South Korea",
author = "Hong, {Ji Yeon} and Christopher Paik",
note = "Funding Information: We thank Han Il Chang, Paul Chang, Joan Cho, Shang E. Ha, Sok Chul Hong, In-Cheol Kang, Woo Chang Kang, Hyuncheol Bryant Kim, Yong Hyun Kim, Young-Il Albert Kim, John S. Kuk, Yonghoon Lee, Sangyong Son, Hyunjoo Yang, participants of the Applied Microeconomics Summer Workshop at Seoul National University, and seminar participants at Korea Development Institute for helpful comments and suggestions. We also thank Jinsol Kim, Chanjoo Lee, and Kyu Won Lee for excellent research assistance. We appreciate Iksang Shin and the Christian Institute for the Study of Justice and Development for sharing the 2019 Protestant Perception Survey on Major Social Issues. All errors are our own. Ji Yeon Hong acknowledges that this project is supported by the Korean Studies Grant sponsored by the Academy of Korean Studies, South Korea (Reference No. AKS-2018-R-44). Funding Information: We thank Han Il Chang, Paul Chang, Joan Cho, Shang E. Ha, Sok Chul Hong, In-Cheol Kang, Woo Chang Kang, Hyuncheol Bryant Kim, Yong Hyun Kim, Young-Il Albert Kim, John S. Kuk, Yonghoon Lee, Sangyong Son, Hyunjoo Yang, participants of the Applied Microeconomics Summer Workshop at Seoul National University, and seminar participants at Korea Development Institute for helpful comments and suggestions. We also thank Jinsol Kim, Chanjoo Lee, and Kyu Won Lee for excellent research assistance. We appreciate Iksang Shin and the Christian Institute for the Study of Justice and Development for sharing the 2019 Protestant Perception Survey on Major Social Issues. All errors are our own. Ji Yeon Hong acknowledges that this project is supported by the Korean Studies Grant sponsored by the Academy of Korean Studies, South Korea (Reference No. AKS-2018-R-44). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 Elsevier B.V.",
year = "2021",
month = jun,
doi = "10.1016/j.jebo.2020.11.004",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "186",
pages = "707--723",
journal = "Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization",
issn = "0167-2681",
publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",
}