Financeirização e cooperativismo de crédito solidário : uma análise da ASCOOB-COOPEC em Sergipe

Abstract

Credit unions are entities of a civil nature that conduct and intermediate the social capital, arising from the shares, to finance the actual production of goods. Thus, unlike conventional financial institutions, in rural areas these organizations have a social character insofar as they subsidize the production of their members, who are also small rural producers. Furthermore, it has recently been observed that, in Brazil, some cooperative groups have chosen to integrate solidarity principles in their working relationships. This is due to the construction of more consolidated and lasting social processes. To this end, despite the expansion of speculation finance, microfinance – from Credit Unions – has gained prominence, especially in the last decade. In this way, the present research has as an analytical proposal of investigation: to analyze the cooperative of solidary credit in front of the process of financialization of the field, from the actions of ASCOOB-COOPEC working with small rural producers and local merchants, within their limits and contradictions. For this, aiming to achieve this proposition, the following methodological paths were adopted: bibliographic research and meetings for orientation, collection and crossing of secondary data, field work and, finally, systematization of information and construction/outlining of the reflections contained here. In turn, it is worth adding that cooperative experiences in Brazil had a particular aspect, given the institutional limits established by the Central Bank (a public entity that regulates the national financial system). Therefore, a critical reading will be made on the performance of credit unions, considering their limits and contradictions, especially in the current period of financialization. Furthermore, it is also sought to understand how these social institutions have been reproducing in the face of the private interests exercised by the Confederated Cooperatives.