unprejudiced
JF-Expert Member
- Jan 27, 2017
- 3,505
- 2,862
Why is the crime rate in Germany so low? Is it a merit of the system, the culture or of the police?
[https://qph]
Chris Ebbert, Innovation Advisor
Answered Mar 9
I am originally from Germany, and have lived in nine different countries. Upon reflection, I would have to say this:
There is a peer pressure, or group dynamic, in Germany to observe the law. It is not driven by fear. It is driven by desire. Desire to live in a good place. I suppose that makes it a construct of culture.
When I lived in English speaking countries, I was speechless at the common notion that laws are there to be broken. They are not. Not in Germany. In Germany, laws are a contract we, the civilised people, have with each other, because we want to live nicely.
Maybe the explanation comes from Geert Hofstede’s work on the Distance to Power, and the index he created accordingly. In the English speaking world, the law was usually something imposed on the population by higher levels of society; Germany has had a far more flat hierarchy than that, historically, so the feeling of the population is one of empowerment to take matters into their own hands when it comes to the terms of engagement of society.
So, it boils down to, “the Germans want to collaborate as a society, in order to co-create the society they wish to live in.”
I really believe this. I live in Sweden now, which is exactly like that, as are the other Scandinavian countries. So, on the whole, I think this is not just a German thing, but this is the spirit of Northern Europe. We are all like that here.
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[https://qph]
Chris Ebbert, Innovation Advisor
Answered Mar 9
I am originally from Germany, and have lived in nine different countries. Upon reflection, I would have to say this:
There is a peer pressure, or group dynamic, in Germany to observe the law. It is not driven by fear. It is driven by desire. Desire to live in a good place. I suppose that makes it a construct of culture.
When I lived in English speaking countries, I was speechless at the common notion that laws are there to be broken. They are not. Not in Germany. In Germany, laws are a contract we, the civilised people, have with each other, because we want to live nicely.
Maybe the explanation comes from Geert Hofstede’s work on the Distance to Power, and the index he created accordingly. In the English speaking world, the law was usually something imposed on the population by higher levels of society; Germany has had a far more flat hierarchy than that, historically, so the feeling of the population is one of empowerment to take matters into their own hands when it comes to the terms of engagement of society.
So, it boils down to, “the Germans want to collaborate as a society, in order to co-create the society they wish to live in.”
I really believe this. I live in Sweden now, which is exactly like that, as are the other Scandinavian countries. So, on the whole, I think this is not just a German thing, but this is the spirit of Northern Europe. We are all like that here.
Sent using Jamii Forums mobile app
