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Abstract
Many cooperatives in rural areas of Canada had their beginnings in
agriculture and in serving farmers and farming communities. They
developed to market products, access inputs, process outputs, and to
provide mutual insurance services and cooperative banking services.
Over time, other players performing similar functions have left as
agricultural communities have experienced population losses, while
many cooperatives remain. The cooperatives provide access to
services crucial for small businesses, producers, and households in rural
areas, as well as representing access to networks within and beyond the
community. This paper investigates whether a positive impact of the
presence of credit unions in rural communities can be discerned in the
community’s ability to retain and attract population. Our quantitative
results do not support the hypothesis of a positive influence, although
limited results of a qualitative case study suggest that credit unions
perform a different function in rural communities than commercial banks.