The meaning of trust in the age of Airbnb
I remember myself thinking about examples of lack of societal trust in Brazil, where I live, comparing to richer countries. Like european countries (Japan also I guess) where you don&#x27;t have a barrier entering the subway where it is verified if you paid the ticket. Only randomized sample checking.<p>Then a relative told me a surreal example from Angola. There, public distribution of electricity is unreliable to say the least. So everyone who can afford has a gas fueled electric generator at home. 
But, in any apartment building, instead of having a big generator, at ground level, with all residents sharing the bill (like we have in several upper class buildings here in Brazil); each resident has their own small generator just outside their doors. So there is constant loud noise and constant smoke at the stairs and elevators (and a higher individual cost).<p>The only reason for this (according to this relative) is lack of trust that everybody would consistently pay their share of the common bill. There is always several people who try to take advantage.<p>So, I agree with the idea that societal trust is a requirement for economic development.