15562. (Clifford Geertz) The Rotating Credit Association: A “Middle Rung” in Development [article]

Rotat­ing cred­it asso­ci­a­tions are pro­foundly impor­tant insti­tu­tions. They illus­trate the abil­ity of peo­ple to orga­nize them­selves demo­c­ra­t­i­cally on a grass-roots lev­el, and show that this impulse is cross-cul­tur­al. This is the clear­est and most detailed descrip­tion of how rotat­ing cred­it asso­ci­a­tions work. The author’s best knowl­edge is of Indone­sia, but he draws on well-researched com­par­isons with oth­er regions, espe­cially Africa. The analy­sis of struc­ture, motives, and effects is very sharp. Basic read­ing in this area.

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