Seems very related to social capital and institutions to me. For example, in the US (and many other places) there is much social capital between people that leads to enough trust to have such institutions as a checking system. Many countries don't even have a functional checking system. We get approached by new webmasters that ask where they will cash their checks.
The idea that you should trust your family, trust your neighbor, trust your bank, trust your employer, the puritan work ethic, etc. Though these beliefs have been in decline lately they still function successfully.
In many eastern european countries, for example, these institutions didn't evolve to the same level of functionality because of totalitarian state systems, lack of consistency in political ideologies, and other more random factors.
Look at the world and you see some societies where people have higher trust for government that others, some where people have more trust for their neighbors, some where people have more regard for the institution of the family, and so on. Often there are parables or stories that illustrate these beliefs.
Similarly people's views of crime, what is acceptable behavior, and so forth are shaped by such external factors.
So, social.
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