Description
A number of benevolent institutions aimed at improving the financial resilience of the working classes were established across Europe from the late 18th century onwards. Most were formed with the express aim of enabling the working poor to protect themselves against the financial challenges presented by periods out of the labour market as a result of illness or injury, and old age. The most popular early forms of organised income protection were mutual associations e.g. friendly societies and savings funds. However, institutions such as savings banks and savings and loan societies were actively promoted in a number of countries as being safer, productive and more socially desirable institutions. Our existing knowledge of savings institutions is primarily limited to accounts of savings banks in the British Isles and savings and loans in the US. The experience of savings banks and other formal mechanisms for saving elsewhere has been relative underexplored. Scholars have shown interest in this field in the past e.g. Hollis & Sweetman (1998a, 1998b, 2001, 2004), Ross (2002, 2013), Ó Gráda (2003,2009), Maixes-Altes (2009), Maltby (2011), Garon (2012), Samy (2012), Anbinder (2012) and McLaughlin (2013). We hope to expand the existing research to encompass questions that have not to date been covered by existing European research.| Period | 1 Mar 2014 → 31 Dec 2015 |
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| Type of journal | Journal |
| ISSN | 0968-5650 |