El microcrédito como potenciador del desarrollo local: Análisis de las condiciones de vida

This research studies microcredit as an enhancer of local development by analyzing its impact on the living conditions of the members of the Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito Riobamba Ltda. The analysis is based on a survey applied to a sample of 548 people, who were selected according to area of residence, urban versus rural, and gender. The purpose of the survey was to determine how respondents perceive the impact of microcredit on their living conditions. A quantitative descriptive-explanatory and correlational descriptive-explanatory technique was used to process the information collected. The results showed that most of the urban members believe that microcredit allowed them to improve their personal, family, microenterprise and community living conditions, while most of the rural members perceive better impact at the microenterprise level. In addition, it is evident that there is a proportion of members for whom the microcredit has meant a deterioration in their personal, family, microenterprise and community living conditions, with this perception being greater in urban areas. The differences in the mean scores of the perception of the impact of microcredit at the personal, family, microenterprise and community levels by zones are statistically significant. In conclusion, microcredit as a financial alternative is an ideal instrument to improve the living conditions of the members and their families of COAC Riobamba, which translates into better living conditions at the community level.