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The Origins of the (Cooperative) Species: Raiffeisen Banking in the Netherlands, 1898–1909

Author

Listed:
  • Christopher L. Colvin

    (Queen’s Management School, Queen’s University Belfast)

  • Stuart Henderson

    (College of Business, Dublin Institute of Technology)

  • John D. Turner

    (Queen’s Management School, Queen’s University Belfast)

Abstract

Cooperatively-owned Raiffeisen banks first emerged in the Netherlands in the late 1890s and spread rapidly across the country. Using a new dataset, we investigate the determinants of their market entry and early performance. We find that the cooperative organisational form, when allied to a change in the structure of Dutch agriculture and the socioreligious pillarisation of Dutch society, was an important factor explaining their entry into rural financial markets. While religious organisations provided a necessary impetus for the emergence of Raiffeisen banks, the economic advantages associated with the cooperative organisational form ensured the subsequent survival and success of these banks.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher L. Colvin & Stuart Henderson & John D. Turner, 2018. "The Origins of the (Cooperative) Species: Raiffeisen Banking in the Netherlands, 1898–1909," Working Papers 0126, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
    • Handle: RePEc:hes:wpaper:0126
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    1. Suesse, Marvin & Wolf, Nikolaus, 2020. "Rural transformation, inequality, and the origins of microfinance," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cooperative banking; the Netherlands; Raiffeisen; religion;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • N23 - Economic History - - Financial Markets and Institutions - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • N83 - Economic History - - Micro-Business History - - - Europe: Pre-1913

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