Arbeitspapier

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

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 trade by rail in January 2003, due to the destruction of a railway bridge at Rivirivi, Balaka. Market pairs connected by rail when the railway line was operational, are intervention observations. 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. Railway transport services explain a 11% to 18% 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, however, remarkably similar in size across commodities.

Sprache
Englisch

Erschienen in
Series: Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper ; No. 15-055/V

Klassifikation
Wirtschaft
Empirical Studies of Trade
Economic History: Transport, Trade, Energy, Technology, and Other Services: Africa; Oceania
Economic Development: Agriculture; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Other Primary Products
Economic Development: Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
Economywide Country Studies: Africa
Agricultural Markets and Marketing; Cooperatives; Agribusiness
Thema
trade
crop prices
transaction costs
rail infrastructure
Malawi
sub Saharan Africa

Ereignis
Geistige Schöpfung
(wer)
Zant, Wouter
Ereignis
Veröffentlichung
(wer)
Tinbergen Institute
(wo)
Amsterdam and Rotterdam
(wann)
2015

Handle
Letzte Aktualisierung
10.03.2025, 11:44 MEZ

Datenpartner

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Objekttyp

  • Arbeitspapier

Beteiligte

  • Zant, Wouter
  • Tinbergen Institute

Entstanden

  • 2015

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