Gesellschaften und das Rechtsbewusstsein

In einem Aufsatz von Robert Cooter in der Fordham Law Review von 2006 fand ich folgende, für jeden kulturinteressierten Gesetzesbrecher erhellende Passage:

"First, people in different societies respect and disrespect different laws, and the patterns often seem arbitrary or random. When I was visiting a Swiss colleague, we walked to a department store in Berne. At the store's entrance, the shoppers left bags, bundles, and babies while they nipped inside. I remarked to my colleague, "An American who did this in San Francisco would have his bags and bundles stolen, and he would be arrested for leaving his baby unattended. The Swiss are remarkably honest." He replied, "While I was teaching in Berkeley, I was amazed to find that students seldom cheat on exams. Swiss students think that cheating on exams is their right, and helping others to cheat is their duty." Some data supports the point of this anecdote--that people in different societies internalize and externalize different legal obligations in unpredictable patterns."
Verrückte Leute!?