High-trust and low-trust societies : Institutions and mechanisms, Self-governance, Further reading Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

High-trust and low-trust societies

Sociology concept

Cross-cultural studies
Topics
Cross-cultural studies High-trust and low-trust societies Cultural values World Values Survey Inglehart–Welzel cultural map of the world Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory
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A low-trust society is defined as one in which interpersonal trust is relatively low, and which do not have shared ethical values.^[1] Conversely, a high-trust society is one where interpersonal trust is relatively high, and where ethical values are strongly shared.

Institutions and mechanisms

According to researchers, low-trust societies are typically kinship-based;^[1] outcomes of low-trust societies can include difficulty in forming and maintaining corporate structures.^[2] Mechanisms and institutions that are corrupted, dysfunctional, or absent in low-trust societies include respect for private property rights, a trusted civil court system, democratic voting and acceptance of electoral outcomes, and voluntary tax payment.^[3] Research has identified a correlation between linear-active cultures (i.e. following a daily schedule with a single task at a time)^[4] with high-trust societies, and multi-active cultures (flexible schedules with many tasks at once, often in an unplanned order) with low-trust cultures.^[5]

Self-governance

High-trust societies display a high degree of mutual trust not imposed by outside "contractual, legal or hierarchical regulation", but instead are based upon "prior moral consensus".^[1] Much writing on the subject refers to Francis Fukuyama's 1995 book, Trust: Social Virtues and Creation of Prosperity, in which he describes "the ability of various peoples to organize effectively for commercial purposes without relying on blood ties or government intervention".^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Natale, Hoffman & Hayward 1998, p. 35.
^ Govier 1997, p. 132.
^ Rose 2011, p. 196.
^ LEWIS, Richard. When cultures collide: Leading across cultures. Nicholas Brealey International, 2010.
^ Hopkins 2012, p. 120.
^ TRUST by Francis Fukuyama.

Sources

Govier, T. (1997). Social Trust and Human Communities. Social Trust and Human Communities. McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 978-0-7735-1680-9.
Natale, S.M.; Hoffman, R.P.; Hayward, G. (1998). Business Education and Training: Corporate Structures, Business, and the Management of Values. Business education and training : a value-laden process. University Press of America. ISBN 978-0-7618-1003-2.
Rose, D.C. (2011). The Moral Foundation of Economic Behavior. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-978177-5.
Hopkins, B. (2012). Cultural Differences and Improving Performance: How Values and Beliefs Influence Organizational Performance. Ashgate Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4094-5862-3.