IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ags/phajad/200291.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Transaction Costs of Exchange in Agriculture: A Survey

Author

Listed:
  • Cuevas, Agham C.

Abstract

The concept of transaction cost has been around for more than 75 years. It has been used to explain every economic phenomenon that does not fit with standard neoclassical predictions. It has been applied to so many fields, its definition varying with every application. This paper surveys the literature on transaction costs in general, as well as those that apply transaction costs to agriculture. It focuses on the role of transaction costs in exchange in agriculture, particularly in the context of the household’s decision to engage in market exchange, in both input and output sides. The survey literature finds a confluence of definitions of transaction cost as applied to theoretical and empirical models. Coasian and Williamsonian definitions are used in interpreting fixed transaction costs while neoclassical and trade definitions (i.e., the concept of price band) characterize proportional transaction costs. The prominence of transport cost and the effect of distance and isolation in many of the analyses points to the influence of the new economic geography research stream. Measurement of transaction cost as an ad valorem tax also references the trade concept of transaction cost.

Suggested Citation

  • Cuevas, Agham C., 2014. "Transaction Costs of Exchange in Agriculture: A Survey," Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), vol. 11(1), pages 1-18, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:phajad:200291
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.200291
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/200291/files/AJAD_2014_11_1_2Cuevas.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.200291?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yoram Barzel, 1997. "Measurement Cost and the Organization of Markets," Chapters, in: Svetozar Pejovich (ed.), The Economic Foundations of Property Rights, chapter 13, pages 171-192, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Lanzona, Leonardo & Evenson, Robert E., 1997. "The Effects of Transaction Costs on Labor Market Participation and Earnings: Evidence from Rural Philippines Markets," Center Discussion Papers 28465, Yale University, Economic Growth Center.
    3. Vladislav Valentinov & Jarmila Curtiss, 2005. "Toward a Transaction Cost Theory of Organizational Change in Transitional Agriculture," Eastern European Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(5), pages 25-45, October.
    4. Renkow, Mitch & Hallstrom, Daniel G. & Karanja, Daniel D., 2004. "Rural infrastructure, transactions costs and market participation in Kenya," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 349-367, February.
    5. Nigel Key & Elisabeth Sadoulet & Alain De Janvry, 2000. "Transactions Costs and Agricultural Household Supply Response," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 82(2), pages 245-259.
    6. de Janvry, Alain & Fafchamps, M. & Sadoulet, Elisabeth, 1991. "Peasant Household Behavior with Missing Markets: Some Paradoxes Explain," CUDARE Working Papers 198579, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    7. Pingali, Prabhu & Khwaja, Yasmeen & Meijer, Madelon, 2005. "Commercializing small farms: reducing transaction cost," ESA Working Papers 289070, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Agricultural Development Economics Division (ESA).
    8. Claude Menard & Mary M. Shirley (ed.), 2005. "Handbook of New Institutional Economics," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-0-387-25092-2, December.
    9. Unknown, 2008. "Institute of Agricultural Economics," Economics of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Economics, vol. 55(3).
    10. Thompson, Shelley J. & Hayenga, Marvin L. & Hayes, Dermot J., 2000. "E-Agribusiness," Staff General Research Papers Archive 1850, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    11. Evenson, Robert E. & Kimhi, Ayal & Desilva, Sanjaya, 2000. "Supervision And Transaction Costs: Evidence From Rice Farms In Bicol, The Philippines," 2000 Annual meeting, July 30-August 2, Tampa, FL 21788, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    12. Williamson, Oliver E, 1979. "Transaction-Cost Economics: The Governance of Contractural Relations," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 22(2), pages 233-261, October.
    13. Klaes, Matthias, 2000. "The History of the Concept of Transaction Costs: Neglected Aspects," Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(2), pages 191-216, June.
    14. Heltberg, R. & Tarp, F., 2002. "Agricultural supply response and poverty in Mozambique," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 103-124, April.
    15. Winter-Nelson, Alex & Temu, Anna, 2002. "Institutional Adjustment and Transaction Costs: Product and Inputs Markets in the Tanzanian Coffee System," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 561-574, April.
    16. Krugman, Paul, 1980. "Scale Economies, Product Differentiation, and the Pattern of Trade," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 70(5), pages 950-959, December.
    17. Macher, Jeffrey T. & Richman, Barak D., 2008. "Transaction Cost Economics: An Assessment of Empirical Research in the Social Sciences," Business and Politics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 10(1), pages 1-63, April.
    18. Prabhu Pingali & Yasmeen Khwaja & Madelon Meijer, 2005. "Commercializing Small Farms: Reducing Transaction Costs," Working Papers 05-08, Agricultural and Development Economics Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO - ESA).
    19. Macher Jeffrey T & Richman Barak D, 2008. "Transaction Cost Economics: An Assessment of Empirical Research in the Social Sciences," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 1-65, May.
    20. Zaibet, Lokman T & Dunn, Elizabeth G, 1998. "Land Tenure, Farm Size, and Rural Market Participation in Developing Countries: The Case of the Tunisian Olive Sector," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 46(4), pages 831-848, July.
    21. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    22. Ahmed, Zia U., 1989. "Effective costs of rural loans in Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 357-363, March.
    23. Steven Were Omamo, 1998. "Transport Costs and Smallholder Cropping Choices: An Application to Siaya District, Kenya," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 80(1), pages 116-123.
    24. Frank A.G. den Butter & Robert H.J. Mosch, 2003. "Trade, Trust and Transaction Cost," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 03-082/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    25. Dorward, Andrew, 1999. "A Risk Programming Approach for Analysing Contractual Choice in the Presence of Transaction Costs," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 26(4), pages 479-492, December.
    26. Hans-Jurgen Engelbrecht, 2004. "The transaction sector, the information economy, and economic growth in New Zealand: Taking hazledine seriously," New Zealand Economic Papers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(1), pages 87-99.
    27. Staal, Steven & Delgado, Christopher & Nicholson, Charles, 1997. "Smallholder dairying under transactions costs in East Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 779-794, May.
    28. Maurizio Bussolo & John Whalley, 2003. "Globalisation in Developing Countries: The Role of Transaction Costs in Explaining Economic Performance in India," OECD Development Centre Working Papers 219, OECD Publishing.
    29. Wallis, John Joseph & North, Douglass C., 1988. "Should Transaction Costs be Subtracted from Gross National Product?," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 48(03), pages 651-654, September.
    30. George Chobanov & Henrik Egbert, 2007. "The Rise of the Transaction Sector in the Bulgarian Economy," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 49(4), pages 683-698, December.
    31. Frisvold, George B., 2005. "Transaction Costs and Institutional Innovations in Agricultural Labor Contracts," 2005 Annual meeting, July 24-27, Providence, RI 19495, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    32. Fuentes, Gabriel A., 1998. "Middlemen and agents in the procurement of paddy: Institutional arrangements from the rural Philippines," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 307-331.
    33. Alene, Arega D. & Manyong, V.M. & Omanya, G. & Mignouna, H.D. & Bokanga, M. & Odhiambo, G., 2008. "Smallholder market participation under transactions costs: Maize supply and fertilizer demand in Kenya," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 318-328, August.
    34. de Janvry, Alain & Fafchamps, Marcel & Sadoulet, Elisabeth, 1991. "Peasant Household Behaviour with Missing Markets: Some Paradoxes Explained," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 101(409), pages 1400-1417, November.
    35. Lema, Daniel, 2006. "Contracts, Transaction Costs and Agricultural Production in the Pampas," 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia 25420, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    36. Niehans, Jurg, 1969. "Money in a Static Theory of Optimal Payment Arrangements," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 1(4), pages 706-726, November.
    37. Foley, Duncan K., 1970. "Economic equilibrium with costly marketing," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 2(3), pages 276-291, September.
    38. Robert E. Evenson & Ayal Kimhi & Sanjaya DeSilva, 2000. "Supervision and Transaction Costs: Evidence from Rice Farms in Bicol, the Philippines," Working Papers 814, Economic Growth Center, Yale University.
    39. Evenson, Robert E. & Kimhi, Ayal & Desilva, Sanjaya, 2000. "Supervision And Transaction Costs: Evidence From Rice Farms In Bicol, The Philippines," 2000 Annual meeting, July 30-August 2, Tampa, FL 21788, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    40. Holloway, Garth & Nicholson, Charles & Delgado, Chris & Staal, Steve & Ehui, Simeon, 2000. "Agroindustrialization through institutional innovation: Transaction costs, cooperatives and milk-market development in the east-African highlands," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 23(3), pages 279-288, September.
    41. Stephan J. Goetz, 1992. "A Selectivity Model of Household Food Marketing Behavior in Sub-Saharan Africa," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 74(2), pages 444-452.
    42. Arega, D.A. & Manyong, Victor M. & Omanya, G. & Mignouna, H.D. & Bokanga, M. & Odhiambo, George D., 2008. "Smallholder marketed surplus and input use under transactions costs: maize supply and fertilizer demand in Kenya," 2007 Second International Conference, August 20-22, 2007, Accra, Ghana 52074, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mahlako Nthabeleng Mokgomo & Clarietta Chagwiza & Phathutshedzo Fancy Tshilowa, 2022. "The Impact of Government Agricultural Development Support on Agricultural Income, Production and Food Security of Beneficiary Small-Scale Farmers in South Africa," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-21, October.
    2. Pham Quoc Hung & Huynh Viet Khai, 2020. "Transaction cost, price risk perspective and marketing channel decision of small-scale chili farmers in Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam," Asian Journal of Agriculture and rural Development, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 10(1), pages 68-80, June.
    3. Christopher Ugochukwu Nwafor & Abiodun A. Ogundeji & Carlu van der Westhuizen, 2020. "Adoption of ICT-Based Information Sources and Market Participation among Smallholder Livestock Farmers in South Africa," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-13, February.
    4. Steffen, Christoph & Yu, Xiaohua, 2018. "Transaction Costs and Food Prices in Rural Kenya," Department of Agricultural and Rural Development (DARE) Discussion Papers 274537, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development (DARE).
    5. Diwakar KC & Tek Maraseni & Chubamenla Jamir & Ritendra Thapa Magar & Florencia Tuladhar, 2020. "Effectiveness of Gravity Goods Ropeways in market participation of smallholder farmers in uplands," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 1393-1414, June.
    6. Nguyen Hung Anh & Wolfgang Bokelmann, 2019. "Determinants of Smallholders’ Market Preferences: The Case of Sustainable Certified Coffee Farmers in Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-20, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nguyen Hung Anh & Wolfgang Bokelmann, 2019. "Determinants of Smallholders’ Market Preferences: The Case of Sustainable Certified Coffee Farmers in Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-20, May.
    2. Momanyi, Denis & Lagat, Prof. Job K. & Ayuya, Dr. Oscar I., 2016. "Analysis of the Marketing Behaviour of African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables among Smallholder Farmers in Nyamira County, Kenya," MPRA Paper 69202, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 27 Jan 2016.
    3. Yao, B. & Shanoyan, A., 2018. "The Use of Mobile Money Application and Smallholder Farmer Market Participation: Evidence form Cote d Ivoire and Tanzania," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277259, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Mignouna, D.B. & Abdoulaye, T. & Alene, A. & Akinola, A.A. & Manyong, V.M., 2015. "Drivers of Market Participation Decisions among Small-scale Farmers in Yam Growing Areas of Nigeria and Ghana," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 230219, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. B.C. Okoye & A. Abass & B. Bachwenkizi & G. Asumugha & B. Alenkhe & R. Ranaivoson & R. Randrianarivelo & N. Rabemanantsoa & I. Ralimanana, 2016. "Effect of transaction costs on market participation among smallholder cassava farmers in Central Madagascar," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 1143597-114, December.
    6. Chamberlin, Jordan & Jayne, T.S., 2013. "Unpacking the Meaning of ‘Market Access’: Evidence from Rural Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 245-264.
    7. Hayatullah Ahmadzai, 2018. "Factor market participation and tests for separability in Afghanistan," Discussion Papers 2018-10, University of Nottingham, CREDIT.
    8. Melkani, Aakanksha & Mason, Nicole & Mather, David & Chisanga, Brian & Jayne, Thom, 2021. "Smallholder Market Participation and Choice of Marketing Channel in the Presence of Liquidity Constraints: Evidence from Zambian Maize Markets," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315273, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Escobal, Javier A. & Cavero, Denice, 2012. "Transaction Costs, Institutional Arrangements and Inequality Outcomes: Potato Marketing by Small Producers in Rural Peru," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 329-341.
    10. Muriithi, Beatrice W. & Matz, Julia Anna, 2014. "Smallholder Participation in the Commercialisation of Vegetables: Evidence from Kenyan Panel Data," Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, Humboldt-Universitaat zu Berlin, vol. 53(2), pages 1-28, May.
    11. Salas Garcia, Vania B. & Fan, Qin, 2015. "Information Access and Smallholder Farmers’ Selling Decisions in Peru," 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 26-28, San Francisco, California 205380, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    12. Barrett, Christopher B., 2008. "Smallholder market participation: Concepts and evidence from eastern and southern Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 299-317, August.
    13. Kuijpers, Rob, 2020. "Integrated Value Chain Development: Evidence from Bangladesh," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    14. Mujawamariya, G. & Burger, K. & D’Haese, M., 2015. "Market-driven production with transaction costs outlook: Gum arabic collection systems in Senegal," Journal of Forest Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 111-130.
    15. Zezza, Alberto & Llambi, Luis, 2002. "Meso-Economic Filters Along the Policy Chain: Understanding the Links Between Policy Reforms and Rural Poverty in Latin America," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 30(11), pages 1865-1884, November.
    16. Mohammad Khaledi & Simon Weseen & Erin Sawyer & Shon Ferguson & Richard Gray, 2010. "Factors Influencing Partial and Complete Adoption of Organic Farming Practices in Saskatchewan, Canada," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 58(1), pages 37-56, March.
    17. Laure Latruffe & Yann Desjeux, 2014. "Perpetuation of subsistence farming in Kosovo: the role of farm integration in input markets," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(1), pages 137-148, March.
    18. Rob Kuijpers, 2019. "Value Chain Development as Public Policy: Conceptualization and Evidence from the Agri-Food Sector in Bangladesh," LICOS Discussion Papers 41419, LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, KU Leuven.
    19. Alene, Arega D. & Manyong, V.M. & Omanya, G. & Mignouna, H.D. & Bokanga, M. & Odhiambo, G., 2008. "Smallholder market participation under transactions costs: Maize supply and fertilizer demand in Kenya," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 318-328, August.
    20. Emily Ouma & John Jagwe & Gideon Aiko Obare & Steffen Abele, 2010. "Determinants of smallholder farmers' participation in banana markets in Central Africa: the role of transaction costs," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 41(2), pages 111-122, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:phajad:200291. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/searcph.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.