Increasing returns and market efficiency in agricultural trade
Increasing returns and market efficiency in agricultural trade
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DOI：
10.1016/j.jdeveco.2004.10.001
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发表时间：
2005-12-01
影响因子：
5
通讯作者：
Minten, B
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Fafchamps, M;Gabre-Madhin, E;Minten, B
通过对贝宁、马达加斯加和马拉维的详细贸易商调查，本文调查了农业贸易中收益增加的存在。在分析了利润率、成本和附加值之后，我们发现几乎没有证据表明存在规模回报。人们发现，对于长距离的大货物，机动运输更具成本效益。但运输商似乎从多个贸易商那里汇集了数量。保证金利率与交易规模关系不大。个人旅行成本是收益增加的一个来源，但影响很小。因此，总营销成本几乎与交易规模成正比。营运资本和网络资本是增加价值的关键决定因素。所有可积累要素——营运资本、劳动力和网络资本——的规模不变回报是不能被拒绝的。这意味着限制进入农业贸易的政策既没有必要也没有用。相反，政府应该把重点放在技术和制度创新上，以提升农产品市场。(c) 2005 Elsevier B.V.版权所有
Using detailed trader surveys in Benin, Madagascar, and Malawi, this paper investigates the presence of increasing returns in agricultural trade. After analyzing margins, costs, and value added, we find little evidence of returns to scale. Motorized transport is found more cost effective for large loads on longer distances. But transporters appear to pool quantities from multiple traders. Margin rates show little relationship with transaction size. Personal travel costs are a source of increasing returns, but the effect is small. Consequently, total marketing costs are nearly proportional to transaction size. Working and network capital are key determinants of value added. Constant returns to scale in all accumulable factors-working capital, labor, and network capital-cannot be rejected. This implies that policies to restrict entry into agricultural trade are neither necessary nor useful. Governments should focus instead on technological and institutional innovations to upgrade agricultural markets. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.