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Using Individual-Level Randomized Treatment to Learn about Market Structure

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  • Lorenzo Casaburi
  • Tristan Reed

Abstract

Interference across competing firms in RCTs can be informative about market structure. An experiment that subsidizes a random subset of traders who buy cocoa from farmers in Sierra Leone illustrates this idea. Interpreting treatment-control differences in prices and quantities purchased from farmers through a model of Cournot competition reveals differentiation between traders is low. Combining this result with quasi-experimental variation in world prices shows that the number of traders competing is 50 percent higher than the number operating in a village. Own-price and cross-price supply elasticities are high. Farmers face a competitive market in this first stage of the value chain.

Suggested Citation

  • Lorenzo Casaburi & Tristan Reed, 2022. "Using Individual-Level Randomized Treatment to Learn about Market Structure," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 58-90, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:14:y:2022:i:4:p:58-90
    DOI: 10.1257/app.20200306
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daron Acemoglu & Tristan Reed & James A. Robinson, 2014. "Chiefs: Economic Development and Elite Control of Civil Society in Sierra Leone," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 122(2), pages 319-368.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yuehao Bai & Jizhou Liu & Azeem M. Shaikh & Max Tabord-Meehan, 2023. "On the Efficiency of Finely Stratified Experiments," Papers 2307.15181, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2024.
    2. Bensch, Gunther & Kaestner, Kathrin & Vance, Colin, 2023. "Pass-through of cocoa prices along the supply chain: What's left for farmers in Côte D'Ivoire?," Ruhr Economic Papers 1035, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
    • Q13 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Markets and Marketing; Cooperatives; Agribusiness

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