Peran Koperasi Simpan Pinjam terhadap Kesejahteraan Ekonomi Masyarakat dan Lingkungan Sosial (Studi Kasus Kelurahan Tanjung Gusta)

Abstract

This study, entitled “The Role of Savings and Loan Cooperatives in Community Economic Welfare and the Social Environment (Case Study of Tanjung Gusta Village)” aims to understand how savings and loan cooperatives (KSP) operate in everyday community life, how people perceive their presence, and how these cooperatives contribute to social and economic welfare. The research employs a qualitative ethnographic approach, using in-depth interviews, participant observation, and documentation involving cooperative administrators, workers, and members in Tanjung Gusta Village, Medan Helvetia. The analysis is conducted inductively, with the concepts of embeddedness (Polanyi, 1957), moral economy (Geertz, 1962), and social capital (Putnam, 2000) serving as interpretive references rather than variables to be tested. The findings reveal that savings and loan cooperatives in Tanjung Gusta function not merely as formal financial institutions, but as social spaces grounded in trust and solidarity. Loan and repayment activities occur through personal and flexible relationships, helping small traders and informal workers sustain their livelihoods during difficult times. For local residents, the cooperative is not only a place to borrow money but also a form of social security and a symbol of mutual reliance. The cooperatives have generated both economic and social impacts, including increased business capital and the strengthening of community solidarity networks. Despite challenges such as delayed repayments and competition from digital loan services, these cooperatives continue to survive due to the strength of community-based trust. This study concludes that cooperatives in Tanjung Gusta embody a form of people‟s economy embedded within social relations, serving as one of the key pillars of local welfare and collective resilience.