Page 248 - Cultures and Organizations

What Is Different Is Dangerous 221

In this case uncertainty avoidance had a positive effect on citizens’ taking
responsibility—but the other party was not the government.
In most higher-UAI countries in Europe, citizens are obliged to carry
identity cards in order to be able to show proof of who they are whenever

requested to do so by an authority figure. No such obligation exists in most
lower-UAI countries, and the burden of proof of identifying the citizen is
on the authorities. 57
In high-UAI countries there is more conservatism, even within parties
that call themselves progressive, and a stronger need for law and order.
The public in low-UAI countries tends to be more liberally minded. In
these countries a positive attitude toward young people prevails, whereas
in high-UAI countries youngsters are more often considered as suspect. 58
The reverse can also be true; quite a few French chansonniers wrote texts
that depict adults in a negative light, including Georges Brassens, Pierre
59
Chastellain, Catherine Leforestier, and Henri Tachan. High-UAI coun-
tries are more likely to harbor extremist minorities within their political
landscape than low-UAI countries, and they are also more likely to ban
political groups whose ideas are considered dangerous. Banned groups may
continue an underground existence or may even resort to terrorism. These
countries have more native terrorists.

Uncertainty Avoidance and Corruption

A phenomenon that affects the functioning of the state, and sometimes also
of private organizations, is corruption. Official and unofficial side payments

occur in many situations throughout the world. What is called corruption
is partly a matter of definition. We speak of corruption when people use

the power of their positions to illegally enrich themselves, or when citizens

buy the collaboration of authorities for their private purposes. But what
about the large sums spent in some countries on lobbying, which, although
formally legal, rests on similar motives? What about the excessive levels
of self-compensation and golden handshakes at executive levels in some
companies and industries? In Japan, China, and many other cultures, the
giving of gifts is an important ritual, and the borderline between gift giv-
ing and bribing is diffuse. To a purist, even tipping can be considered a
form of bribing.