>They are a product of the underlying system governing a country. The US has very strong institutions and legal framework in the form of the constitution
Thought experiment: swap Americans with a country that is dysfunctional, the result would be that there would be only a marginal improvement in the quality of living for the swapped population. On the other hand the originally dysfunctional country with the new Americans occupants will soon strengthen the institutions and legal framework.
The point I'm trying to make is that institutions and legal framework are far less relevant compared to the personal ethics of the population at large.
Thought experiment: swap Americans with a country that is dysfunctional, the result would be that there would be only a marginal improvement in the quality of living for the swapped population. On the other hand the originally dysfunctional country with the new Americans occupants will soon strengthen the institutions and legal framework.
The point I'm trying to make is that institutions and legal framework are far less relevant compared to the personal ethics of the population at large.