Trust but verify: social capital and moral behavior

Rational choice approaches suggest that decisions to behave morally depend largely on how people expect others to act. A social capital approach suggests that moral codes, rather than expectations of others, lead people to endorse strong standards of moral behavior. Using the 1981 World Values Study in the United States, I find strong support for the social capital perspective and at best limited backing for the rational choice approach in explaining why people endorse strong standards of moral behavior. Core values such as religion and trust in others, together with a belief that one adheres to the Ten Commandments, lead people to abjure a wide range of “immoral” acts from lying to buying stolen goods and claiming government benefits unfairly.