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Wheat or Strawberries? Intermediated Trade with Limited Contracting

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  • Kala Krishna
  • Lena Sheveleva

Abstract

Why do developing countries fail to specialize in products in which they appear to have a comparative advantage? We propose a model of agricultural trade with intermediation that explains how hold-up resulting from poor contracting environments can produce such an outcome. We use the model to explore the role of production subsidies, support prices, easing sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) requirements, and the creation of local markets in resolving the hold-up problem. The model highlights the importance of infrastructure in aligning production with comparative advantage and sheds light on the pass-through of the world price to the producer.

Suggested Citation

  • Kala Krishna & Lena Sheveleva, 2014. "Wheat or Strawberries? Intermediated Trade with Limited Contracting," NBER Working Papers 20630, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:20630
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    Cited by:

    1. Shoumitro Chatterjee, 2023. "Market Power and Spatial Competition in Rural India," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 138(3), pages 1649-1711.
    2. David Atkin & Amit K. Khandelwal, 2020. "How Distortions Alter the Impacts of International Trade in Developing Countries," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 12(1), pages 213-238, August.
    3. Parisa Kamali, 2019. "Exporting Through Intermediaries: Impact on Export Dynamics and Welfare," IMF Working Papers 2019/302, International Monetary Fund.
    4. Nyarko, Yaw & Pellegrina, Heitor S., 2022. "From bilateral trade to centralized markets: A search model for commodity exchanges in Africa," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    5. Duan, Jianhua & Xuefeng, Qian & Das, Kuntal K. & Meriluoto, Laura & Reed, W. Robert, 2020. "A replication of "The role of intermediaries in facilitating trade" (Journal of International Economics, 2011)," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 14, pages 1-30.
    6. Chan, Jackie M.L., 2019. "Financial frictions and trade intermediation: Theory and evidence," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 567-593.
    7. Margarita Gafaro & Heitor S. Pellegrina, 2018. "Market access, agricultural productivity and selection into trade: evidence from Colombia," Borradores de Economia 1050, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    8. Jianhua Duan & Xuefeng Qian & Kuntal K. Das & Laura Meriluoto & W. Robert Reed, 2019. "Further Tests of Ahn, Khandelwal, and Wei’s (2011) Model of Intermediated Trade," Working Papers in Economics 19/02, University of Canterbury, Department of Economics and Finance.

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    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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