The practice of mutuality in Trentino cooperative credit
This report, the result of collaboration between the Common Fund of Trentino Rural Banks and Euricse, provides an initial collection of information and indicators useful for assessing the social function performed by Trentino cooperative credit.
The report is structured in seven chapters: the first examines the concepts of mutuality and social responsibility, analyzing how these can be declined in the case of cooperative credit and then identifying the main dimensions on which they can be measured. The second chapter presents a general overview of the Trentino cooperative credit system, reporting some descriptive data. The third chapter focuses on the different interpretations of the social function that transpire from the interviews conducted with presidents and directors, while chapters four, five, and six give empirical feedback on these interpretations by examining quantitative data collected on three key dimensions: banking activities (chapter four), human resources (chapter five), and territorial development through non-banking activities (chapter six). The main findings are then summarized and commented on in the conclusions.
