Institutionalising future geographies of financial inclusion: national legitimacy versus local autonomy in the British credit union movement.

Abstract

This paper provides a critical overview of recent developments in British credit union development, and contributed to the broader analysis of alternative financial/economic spaces and (the geographies of) alterity. The paper was underpinned by a wide range of local, national and international conference presentations including the National Association of Credit Union Workers, Birmingham, 2001; Combating Financial Exclusion, Salford, 2001; Association of American Geographers, New York, 2001, New Orleans, 2003; Alternative Economic Spaces, Hull, 2005; and discussions with local user communities throughout the UK (including through non-academic publishing, such as SCCD news and New Start articles)