Article

 

CREDIT COOPERATIVES IN BULGARIA AND ROMANIA: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES (p.79-101)

by

Tsvetelina MARINOVA, NEW BULGARIAN UNIVERSITY and University of Picardie Jules Verne

Keywords : Rural credit cooperatives, Popular banks, Balkan countries, Agriculture, Socioeconomic development

JEL classification : N53, N54, P13, O13, R51

Abstract

The paper aims at exploring the emergence and evolution of cooperative credit institutions (particularly agricultural credit cooperatives and rural popular banks) in two Balkan countries (Bulgaria and Romania) during different periods of their socioeconomic development (Ottoman, capitalist, socialist and post-socialist/capitalist) from the second half of 19th century till nowadays. Rural credit cooperatives and popular banks became the most widespread and important lending institutions to the peasants from the beginning of 20th century to WWII. The paper discusses the dominant role of the state in the proliferation of credit cooperatives in Bulgaria and Romania which predetermined similarities and divergences in their institutional paths of development. Furthermore, I am interested in the major causes for their disappearance in the post-socialist period as well as the main challenges to credit cooperatives today.