
This is part of cultural capital, and it does have substantial benefits in a
knowledge-based economy, as evidenced by their financial success. It is not the only factor, as there seems to be a correlation between immigrants' education level in their native country and subsequent outcomes when they head overseas.
But it should be noted that while east and southeast Asians perform at similar levels up until the associate level, southeast Asians generally outperform them past that point.
Further, at elite law firms, for example, East Asians have relatively great associate numbers but have dismal partner numbers.