Institutionalising Future Geographies of Financial Inclusion: National Legitimacy Versus Local Autonomy in the British Credit Union Movement

In Great Britain, financial infrastructure withdrawal and community economic decline have focused attention on the capacity of locally "alternative" financial institutions to combat social and financial exclusion. This paper examines one such institution, the residential or "community" credit union, which provides a low-cost source of credit for members drawn from a common bond area usually based upon place of residence and/or work. Although community credit unions have traditionally been seen as providing individuals and communities with the opportunity to access credit and savings facilities in areas where there has been contraction in bank and building society provision (the financial "mainstream"), ongoing attempts exist to move away from the traditional role of community credit unions. This transition has set up three main challenges for the British credit union movement, discussed in this paper as follows: (1) a struggle over the attempt to redefine the "model" credit union within the national credit union movement; (2) the changing regulatory context for credit union development, including attempts to embrace credit unions within New Labour policies on social exclusion; and (3) a "local" challenge, including the incorporation of credit unions into community economic development initiatives. The paper considers how these challenges feed into wider understandings about the social relations, categorisation and autonomy of locally "alternative" financial institutions. We argue that future research on geographies of financial inclusion focusing on "alternative" institutions and their relationship to the financial mainstream needs to pay close critical attention to potential contradictions and tensions operating at different, yet intersecting spatial scales.     

Local Financial Institutions and Income Inequality: Evidence from Brazil's Credit Cooperative Movement

Local financial institutions can play a crucial role in reducing income inequalities at the within-country level by promoting inclusive economic growth and development across time and space. This is against a backdrop of increasing financial and economic fragility, to which emerging economies have also been exposed over more recent decades and years. This article adds emerging economy evidence from Brazil to an empirical literature on the income inequality implications of cooperative financial institutions. Panel-data estimations for 2004‒19 reveal that Brazilian credit cooperatives have gone beyond commercial banks in supporting communities that have traditionally been underserved financially. Additionally, the article provides new evidence and insights on credit cooperatives’ resilience in the context of a relatively recent but severe economic crisis in Brazil. The results indicate that credit cooperatives have helped fill gaps in finance and economic opportunity that tend to arise in an emerging economy setting. Furthermore, the contribution of credit cooperatives in filling these gaps is found to be more significant at lower levels of development. These findings add theoretical and, importantly, empirical support to the relationship channel of financial inclusion, which is in line with the optimistic perspective in this debate.     

Women's collective economic strategies and political transformation in rural South Africa

This article examines the economic processes and socio‐political institutions that shape women's involvement in community projects. Feminist materialism and postcolonial theory provide the framework to analyze these livelihood strategies as they are grounded in the material conditions of women's lives. The empirical study is based in a rural northern province of South Africa where colonialism and apartheid have contributed to extreme economic and social hardships. Fieldwork was conducted in Limpopo to analyze how community projects contribute to livelihood strategies. In an area where migrant remittances remain one of the main sources of income for rural households, women have increasingly engaged in collective economic strategies such as pottery making, sewing, and agricultural production. These strategies are embedded in a complex set of patriarchal institutions that reinforce unequal access to resources and have historically marginalized rural black women. Despite these barriers, findings from this study demonstrate that community projects provide the potential for economic and social empowerment, especially among rural women.     

The Hidden Consequences of Credit: An Illustration from Rural Indonesia

Interest in rural financial development has been booming, but often with a blind eye to the broader consequences. Very few studies have tackled the unintended economic, social and ecological outcomes of ordinary indebtedness, the inevitable other side of credit. This article explores some of the main ‘hidden’ side‐effects of credit/debt relations, with special reference to the Indonesian plantation sector. I argue that widespread credit/debt relations are not only an important factor behind capital, land and labour control; they also generate constraints that foster market discipline and contribute to undermine traditional community bonds as well as environmental conditions. More generally, credit/debt relations represent a powerful mechanism of social selection that has, in the long run, crucially shaped the trajectory of capitalism at the household, firm and government levels.     

试论乡村聚落体系的规划组织

乡村地理学是人文地理的重要分枝学科,乡村聚落的演化是乡村地理学的重要研究内容。在新的经济、社会发展背景中,乡村的意义与价值正在被重新认识,对其进行合理的规划组织,以形成与区域宏观社会经济背景相匹配的聚落体系,对城乡区域空间的整体协调发展具有重要的现实意义。文章阐述了乡村聚落体系演化理论、规划组织理论。关于乡村聚落体系演化,本文提出了区域空间进程中的四个阶段:农业社会阶段、过渡性阶段、工业化阶段、技术工业和高消费阶段。文章还研究了国际上对乡村聚落体系组织的战略方法,包括职能地域一体化战略、选择性空间封闭战略、乡村城市发展战略。文章结合江苏的有关案例,重点论述了中心镇及中心村选建、设施配置、政策配套等内容,指出:①通过中心镇的建设实现乡镇合并、重组;②通过中心村的建设实现农业空间的集约化经营,推动城市化进程;③通过配套支撑体系来实现对乡村聚落体系优化的引导。提出了中心村选建的主要标准:①区位优势;②联系合理;③规模经济;④节约用地。     

City and region in the credit market of late colonial Guadalajara,Mexico

Regional studies of colonial Mexico have focused on economic, sociological and political themes that largely neglect developing relationships between urban centers and their regions. Understanding these relationships is necessary for a clearer determination of the beginning of dependency and underdevelopment. Data for this study come from loan and mortgage documents contained in the Libros de Hipotecas for Guadalajara, Mexico from 1721 through 1820. The records show that most of the credit necessary for rural economies to function came from creditors in the capital city of Guadalajara. Credit flows through the countryside corresponded to the distributional patterns of population, economic activities, and social networks. Districts with larger populations consumed greater amounts of credit in part because of the presence of many potential borrowers. Those areas involved primarily in trade and agriculture also needed much urban credit, particularly at critical stages in their economic development. Districts in which the region's wealthiest families resided also received more credit through the system of personal and business contacts which channelled the distribution of credit. The net flow of credit from city to region, however, does not necessarily indicate unilateral dependence of rural districts on the capital city. An analysis of the relative benefits to creditor and debtor indicates that the relationship between city and region was characterized by mutual dependence rather than urban exploitation of rural districts.     

中国乡村社会空间的形成与演化

乡村社会空间反映了一定社会经济背景下乡村日常社会生活在地域空间上的分异与组合格局,其归根结底是由乡村社会主体的群体分化形成的。我国乡村发展历史悠久,改革开放以后变化尤其显著,研究其社会空间问题有一定现实意义。本文在对乡村社会空间的内涵进行阐释的基础上,分析了我国乡村社会空间的演变过程及现状特征,揭示了其形成演化的机制与规律,并对我国乡村社会空间的发展趋向进行了探讨。     

The Impact of Microfinance on Decision‐Making Agency: Evidence from South India

Evaluations of the effects of microfinance programmes on women's empowerment generate mixed results. While some are supportive of microfinance's ability to induce a process of economic, social and political empowerment, others are more sceptical and even point to a deterioration of women's overall well‐being. Against this background, development scholars and practitioners have sought to distil some of the ingredients that might increase the likelihood of empowerment or at least reduce adverse effects. This article formally tests the impact of some of the suggested changes in programme features on one particular dimension of empowerment: decision‐making agency. Using household survey data from South India, the author explores the importance of the borrower's gender and the lending technology for intra‐household decision‐making processes. It is shown that direct bank–borrower credit delivery does not challenge the existing decision‐making patterns, regardless of whether men or women receive the credit. These findings change when credit is combined with financial and social group intermediation. Women's group membership seriously shifts overall decision‐making patterns from norm‐guided behaviour and male decision‐making to more joint and female decision‐making. Longer‐term group membership and more intensive training and group meetings strengthen these patterns.     

工业化前中英乡村借贷比较研究

工业化前中国与英国乡村经济中普遍存在着经常性的借贷活动 ,乡村借贷成为农村经济中不可或缺的要素。然而 ,它们历史背景、表现方式、发展状况、功能流向多有不同 ,2 0世纪上半叶中国农村为生存而借贷的传统高利贷市场 ,与工业革命前英国乡村为投资生产而借贷的现代信贷市场形成了鲜明对照。这从一个侧面反映了工业化前中英乡村社会转型的实况     

1952～1954年湖北省农村私人借贷的历史考察

私人借贷在全国解放前一直是农村金融体系的重要组成部分.解放以后,从1952～1954年湖北省的调查材料来看,由于经济落后、家庭经济弱小、缺乏完善的社会保障和现代金融体系等原因,农村的私人借贷虽受到抑制但仍有一定的发展,与解放以前相比,这一时期的私人借贷形式较为简化,利率较低,功能上也以互助互济为主.国家银行业务在农村的延伸和农村信用社等现代金融组织的发展在一定程度上压缩了私人借贷的空间,但并不能完全替代私人借贷.     

Roman Urbanism: A View from the Countryside

The towns of Roman Britain have been subject to a long tradition of empirical research and discussion, but far less attention has been paid to the landscape context in which they developed. This paper considers the implications of this caveat for our understanding of Roman urbanism and suggests that most previous approaches have internalized the study of towns as social institutions and have failed to give due weight to the role of local rural agency in influencing the character of urban development. In so doing, it is suggested that the potential role of other important and competing nodes of economic, political and religious life, such as forts, fortresses, vici and small towns as well as rural sanctuaries and other settlements, is also not given due consideration in discussing the distinctive character of urbanism in Roman Britain.     

Partnerships in place: Facilitating rural local government entrepreneurialism in Newfoundland and Labrador

Rural local governments across Canada, including those in Newfoundland and Labrador, struggle with many of their day-to-day operational activities, including providing appropriate drinking water, wastewater, and garbage collection services, among other essential services, and rarely have capacity to facilitate local economic development activities. In recent times, entrepreneurialism has been noted as having potential for rural local governments, yet little research has been completed to determine its presence and relevance for municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador. In response, we examined eight case study local governments in Newfoundland and Labrador to determine if, and how, entrepreneurialism was present in municipal efforts to increase economic prosperity in their communities. Findings suggest that while rural local governments continue to face challenges due to declining support for rural development from provincial and federal governments and increased downloading of responsibilities, some communities have established ways to remain resilient through partnerships and building on place-based assets. This exploratory study provides a basis for further in-depth research to determine the extent and approaches to entrepreneurialism in local government in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.     

区域发展环境对农户投资行为的影响探究——巩义市100家农户的实例分析

通过对巩义市100家农户投资行为的调研分析发现:①区域发展环境对农户投资行为影响程度与路径不尽一致,经济环境对农户投资的影响比社会环境更直接;②随着经济社会发展水平提高,农户投资愿望更趋强烈、投资结构多元化,经济环境对农户投资影响逐步降低,社会环境的影响增强,且文化制度条件比收入水平对农户投资的促进作用更大;③不同区域发展环境下农户投资行为差异较大,积极开放的文化、制度环境促进农户投资;④农户投资受外部性影响相对较弱,区域特征明显。基于对农户投资行为的分析,提出加强农户投资能力建设与农区发展相关建议。     

Ceramics, Ethnohistory, and Ethnography: Locating Meaning in Southern African Iron Age Ceramic Assemblages

For ceramics to be relevant in the Southern African Iron Age, archaeologists must broaden their theoretical base to include social and other contexts when interpreting material culture items such as pottery. Pottery remains critical in understanding cultural dynamics in the region for the past two millennia, but current usage is narrow in scope. Using ethnohistorical data and archaeological examples from South Africa and Zimbabwe, we argue that pottery provides valuable information on the region's Iron Age, if archaeologists address the social meaning of ceramic assemblages. Ceramic production among rural communities provides the basis on which a wide range of social issues are discussed and used to critique pottery recovered from archaeology. Ethnography suggests that ceramic assemblages are context specific, and archaeologists are cautioned against making generic statements on the basis of similarities of vessel shape and decoration motif.     

基于空间界面理论乡村社区选址研究——以河南省晴岚社区为例

空间界面理论是乡村社区选址的适宜理论。在分析传统农村聚落区位选址中空间界面取向及其演变、新形势下农户择居需求等基础上,得出乡村社区选址大致有四种倾向:城镇边缘区、交通沿线、产业集聚区外围、其他资源指向等。利用空间界面理论中的避害原则、就近原则、功能原则、加成原则,认为河南省商丘市柘城县晴岚社区的选址是合理的,接近于理想中的最佳区位。     

二三十年代华北乡村合作社的借贷活动

合作社是20世纪20～30年代华北乡村经济组织的新现象,它的产生是乡村借贷关系转型和近代化的标志。合作社借贷有利于农民的生产经营,推动了乡村经济的发展,但其活动也有严重的缺陷。     

我国中西部地区乡村城市化问题与对策探讨——以中西部地区第一个乡村城市化试点县市巩义为例

文章以我国中西部地区第一个国家级乡村城市化试点县市巩义为例,剖析了中西部地区乡村城市化的理论背景、制约因素以及面临的主要问题,并提出了促进乡村城市化的若干对策。     

“Why would they care?”: Youth,resource extraction,and climate change in northern British Columbia,Canada

Discussion about local decision making tends to overlook rural and remote youth engagement. Resource extractive industries are, however, fixtures in many rural, remote, northern, and Indigenous communities in settler colonial British Columbia, Canada. These industries shape youths' perceived options for social and economic ventures when they are looking towards their futures. By engaging literature on climate change, settler colonialism, and critical Indigenous studies, and drawing on empirics from workshops conducted with youth from northern British Columbia, this paper explores how rural and remote northern and Indigenous youth engagement and perspectives can transform discussions on climate change and resource extraction. The paper documents how rural and northern youth have been engaged in environmental decision making, particularly in light of resource extraction. The paper also suggests that environmental decision making has at times been extractive itself. The paper concludes that when engaged meaningfully, youth desire to work collectively against social and environmental injustices.     

城乡空间互动-整合演进中的新型农村社区规划体系设计

本文以城乡空间互动-整合演进的理念为依托,横向思考城市与乡村在社会经济发展、居民理想生活诉求层面的异同,着力探讨新型农村社区规划原理及规划体系的核心内容,指出经济空间互动、生活空间延展、社会文化空间更新、城乡交通空间链接及田园生态景观空间表征是城乡空间互动-整合演进不同阶段新型农村社区规划的基本原理,故农业生产空间规划、农村社区居住空间规划、农村社区公共空间规划、农村社区交通空间规划、农田与绿地空间规划构成了新型农村社区规划体系。新型农村社区规划体系的确立必将对城乡空间的合理规划与管理提供有益的参考。     

经济韧性视角下城镇产业演化的路径依赖与路径创造——基于东莞市樟木头、常平镇的对比分析

在经济韧性视角下,本文基于路径依赖与路径创造理论构建了一个研究城镇产业衰落与转型的分析框架,进而对东莞市樟木头与常平的产业发展路径进行详细梳理和对比分析,探讨地理区位、产业结构等初始条件相似的城镇受到相同外部冲击时出现韧性差异的原因,包括地方制度、技术变革、经济结构、劳动力结构、社会文化氛围等。据此提出转型升级对策：寻找新主导产业,提升经济主体潜力与联系;科学规划空间结构,调整存量用地功能,提高土地利用效率,全面升级硬件设施;重塑强调风险管控与危机意识的社会文化氛围。通过建立演化经济地理学与经济韧性相结合的实证研究范式,本文为产业结构单一城镇提供了具有借鉴意义的韧性增强途径和路径创造方式。