Culture and Economic Performance

I was born in the USSR and was raised in Russia. I have studied in Canada and Austria, and lived in several European countries traveling extensively. Every time I was asking myself: Why people are so different in various countries? In similar situations they often behave in dissimilar manner. Could cultural preferences and beliefs play the key role? In this paper I explore and answer the question: How culture affects our way of life and, therefore, economic activity of a nation.