Is there ever a connection between the conflict of the story and the setting?

The setting is where the story takes place -- of course the conflict has a connection. Everything in the plot is set in a certain place and time, within a certain culture -- and changing that setting would make the conflict different. Think of what would happen in Star Wars, for example, if Luke Skywalker had been a rich kid living in London in 1999 who had everything he ever wanted ...