I am currently reading Guns, germs and steel by Jarred Diamond, and he would probably disagree, that the primary reason for greater productivity of European set

I am currently reading Guns, germs and steel by Jarred Diamond, and he would probably disagree, that the primary reason for greater productivity of European settlers compared to native inhabitants of Americas would be culture. If I would simplify one of the theses of that book, it might be, that culture and sucess of various civilization might be just a by-product of the interaction of their available technology and resources within their geography. On the other hand, I'd like to see more in-depth investigation into cultures role into prosperity of people. For example, I would really like to see the reasons why in certain states it is culturally acceptable to accept bribes.