Low-trust_society
High-trust and low-trust societies
Sociology concept
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.
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]
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]
- Govier 1997, p. 132.
- LEWIS, Richard. When cultures collide: Leading across cultures. Nicholas Brealey International, 2010.
- Hopkins 2012, p. 120.
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.
- Trust me, a 2016 Freakonomics Radio episode about trust in societies
- The Origins of the Greek debt crisis on YouTube – Example of low-trust society.
