IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/tin/wpaper/20150055.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Trains, Trade and Transaction Costs: How does Domestic Trade by Rail affect Market Prices of Malawi Agricultural Commodities?

Author

Listed:
  • Wouter Zant

    (VU University Amsterdam, the Netherlands)

Abstract

We measure the impact of low cost transport by rail in Malawi on the dispersion of agricultural commodities prices across markets, by exploiting the quasi experimental design of the nearly total collapse of domestic transport by rail in January 2003, due to the destruction of a railway bridge at Rivirivi, Balaka. Estimations are based on monthly market prices of four agricultural commodities (maize, groundnuts, rice and beans), in 27 local markets, for the period 1998-2006. Market-pairs connected by rail when the railway line was operational, are intervention observations. Railway transport services explain a 14% to 17% reduction in price dispersion across markets. Geographical reach of trade varies by crop, most likely related to storability and geographical spread of production. Perishability appears to increase impact reflecting the lack of intertemporal arbitrage. Overall, impacts are remarkably similar in size across commodities.

Suggested Citation

  • Wouter Zant, 2015. "Trains, Trade and Transaction Costs: How does Domestic Trade by Rail affect Market Prices of Malawi Agricultural Commodities?," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 15-055/V, Tinbergen Institute, revised 22 Jul 2016.
    • Handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:20150055
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://papers.tinbergen.nl/15055.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Remi Jedwab & Alexander Moradi, 2016. "The Permanent Effects of Transportation Revolutions in Poor Countries: Evidence from Africa," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 98(2), pages 268-284, May.
    2. Fafchamps, Marcel & Gabre-Madhin, Eleni & Minten, Bart, 2005. "Increasing returns and market efficiency in agricultural trade," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(2), pages 406-442, December.
    3. Guy Michaels, 2008. "The Effect of Trade on the Demand for Skill: Evidence from the Interstate Highway System," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 90(4), pages 683-701, November.
    4. Muto, Megumi & Yamano, Takashi, 2009. "The Impact of Mobile Phone Coverage Expansion on Market Participation: Panel Data Evidence from Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(12), pages 1887-1896, December.
    5. Christiaensen,Luc & Gilbert,Christopher L. & Kaminski,Jonathan & Christiaensen,Luc & Gilbert,Christopher L. & Kaminski,Jonathan, 2014. "The end of seasonality ? new insights from Sub-Saharan Africa," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6907, The World Bank.
    6. Jenny C. Aker, 2010. "Information from Markets Near and Far: Mobile Phones and Agricultural Markets in Niger," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 46-59, July.
    7. Robert Jensen, 2007. "The Digital Provide: Information (Technology), Market Performance, and Welfare in the South Indian Fisheries Sector," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 122(3), pages 879-924.
    8. Yamauchi, Futoshi, 2014. "Roads, labor markets, and human capital : evidence from rural Indonesia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7139, The World Bank.
    9. Wouter Zant, 2013. "How Is the Liberalization of Food Markets Progressing? Market Integration and Transaction Costs in Subsistence Economies," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 27(1), pages 28-54.
    10. Zant, Wouter, 2012. "The economics of food aid under subsistence farming with an application to Malawi," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 124-141.
    11. Marcel Fafchamps & Ruth Vargas Hill, 2005. "Selling at the Farmgate or Traveling to Market," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 87(3), pages 717-734.
    12. Minten, Bart & Kyle, Steven, 1999. "The effect of distance and road quality on food collection, marketing margins, and traders' wages: evidence from the former Zaire," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(2), pages 467-495, December.
    13. Aparajita Goyal, 2010. "Information, Direct Access to Farmers, and Rural Market Performance in Central India," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 22-45, July.
    14. Jacoby, Hanan C, 2000. "Access to Markets and the Benefits of Rural Roads," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(465), pages 713-737, July.
    15. Yamauchi, Futoshi & Muto, Megumi & Chowdhury, Shyamal & Dewina, Reno & Sumaryanto, Sony, 2011. "Are Schooling and Roads Complementary? Evidence from Income Dynamics in Rural Indonesia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 2232-2244.
    16. Wouter Zant, 2012. "How does Market Access affect Smallholder Behavior? The Case of Tobacco Marketing in Malawi," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 12-088/V, Tinbergen Institute, revised 25 Aug 2014.
    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. Svanidze, Miranda & Götz, Linde, 2019. "Determinants of spatial market efficiency of grain markets in Russia," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    2. Vincent Collins Matemba & Kasonde Mundende & Inonge Milupi, 2023. "Correlates of Transport Mode Choice: Dry Commodity Movement. A Case of Malawi," International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI), vol. 10(11), pages 45-57, November.
    3. Remi Jedwab & Adam Storeygard, 2019. "Economic and Political Factors in Infrastructure Investment: Evidence from Railroads and Roads in Africa 1960–2015," Economic History of Developing Regions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(2), pages 156-208, May.
    4. Vincent Collins Matemba & Kasonde Mundende & Inonge Milupi, 2023. "Investigating and Weighing the Importance of Transport Mode Choice Factors: Dry-Cargo Shipping. A Case of Malawi," International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI), vol. 10(10), pages 37-46, October.
    5. Vincent Collins Matemba & Kasonde Mundende & Inonge Milupi, 2023. "Contestability between Road and Rail Transport for Dry Cargo in Malawi: Cost and Service Reliability Issues. The Never Ending Race," International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI), vol. 10(9), pages 335-342, September.
    6. Mangku Purnomo & Fenna Otten & Heiko Faust, 2018. "Indonesian Traditional Market Flexibility Amidst State Promoted Market Competition," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-17, November.
    7. Merfeld, Joshua D., 2020. "Smallholders, Market Failures, and Agricultural Production: Evidence from India," IZA Discussion Papers 13682, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Mu, Yali, 2024. "Measuring and benchmarking time-varying market efficiency," IAAE 2024 Conference, August 2-7, 2024, New Delhi, India 344294, International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE).
    9. Yali Mu & Stephan von Cramon‐Taubadel, 2022. "Estimating dynamic market efficiency frontiers," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(3), pages 633-653, September.
    10. Wouter Zant, 2022. "Measuring Trade Cost Reductions Through a New Bridge in Mozambique: Who Benefits From Transport Infrastructure?," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 31(4), pages 384-408.
    11. Joshua D. Merfeld, 2023. "Labor elasticities, market failures, and misallocation: Evidence from Indian agriculture," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 54(5), pages 623-637, September.
    12. Grzegorz Przekota & Anna Szczepańska-Przekota, 2024. "How Road and Rail Transport Respond to Economic Growth and Energy Prices: A Study for Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-21, November.
    13. Ngui Min Fui Tom, 2019. "Strategy to Build a Transshipment Port as a Catalyst to Achieving Critical Mass for Sabah’s Economic Growth," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(7), pages 141-166, July.
    14. Merfeld, Joshua, 2021. "Misallocation and Agricultural Production: Evidence from India," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315914, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    15. Merfeld, Joshua D., 2022. "Labor Elasticities, Market Failures, and Misallocation: Evidence from Indian Agriculture," 96th Annual Conference, April 4-6, 2022, K U Leuven, Belgium 321214, Agricultural Economics Society - AES.

    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. Wouter Zant, 2012. "How does Market Access affect Smallholder Behavior? The Case of Tobacco Marketing in Malawi," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 12-088/V, Tinbergen Institute, revised 25 Aug 2014.
    2. Zant, Wouter, 2024. "Mobile phones and Mozambique farmers: Less asymmetric information and more trader competition?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    3. Wouter Zant, 2019. "Mobile Phones and Mozambique Traders: What is the Size of Reduced Search Costs and Who Benefits?," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 19-047/V, Tinbergen Institute.
    4. Wouter Zant, 2016. "How does Market Access for Smallholders affect Export Supply? The Case of Tobacco Marketing in Malawi," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 16-054/V, Tinbergen Institute, revised 08 Aug 2018.
    5. Tara Mitchell, 2014. "Is Knowledge Power? Competition and Information in Agricultural Markets," The Institute for International Integration Studies Discussion Paper Series iiisdp456, IIIS.
    6. Wouter Zant, 2013. "How Is the Liberalization of Food Markets Progressing? Market Integration and Transaction Costs in Subsistence Economies," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 27(1), pages 28-54.
    7. Jenny C. Aker & Marcel Fafchamps, 2015. "Mobile Phone Coverage and Producer Markets: Evidence from West Africa," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 29(2), pages 262-292.
    8. Aggarwal, Shilpa, 2018. "Do rural roads create pathways out of poverty? Evidence from India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 375-395.
    9. Jenny C. Aker & Marcel Fafchamps, 2015. "Mobile Phone Coverage and Producer Markets: Evidence from West Africa," World Bank Economic Review, World Bank Group, vol. 29(2), pages 262-292.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    trade; crop prices; transaction costs; rail infrastructure; Malawi; sub Saharan Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • N77 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services - - - Africa; Oceania
    • Q13 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Markets and Marketing; Cooperatives; Agribusiness
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:tin:wpaper:20150055. 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: Tinbergen Office +31 (0)10-4088900 (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/tinbenl.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.