| dc.description.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. | en_US |
