Giacomo Zanello
Mobile Phones and Radios: Effects on Transactions Costs and Market Participation for Households in Northern Ghana
abstract literature agricultural markets suggests transactions costs main obstacles preventing households participating agricultural markets examine impact recent massive penetration information communication technologies icts particularly mobile phones radios developing countries investigate role information economic transactions participation food crop markets fully capture market participation behaviours current theoretical framework market participation transactions costs extended include households sell buy time period correct endogeneity selectivity throughout models used novel dataset 393 households northern ghana detailed information market transactions icts usage results show receiving market information via mobile phones positive significant impact market participation greater impact households surplus food crops find radios larger impact quantity traded may reflect nature mobile phones reducing searching costs whereas radios provide updated regular flow information affects pattern crops consumed sold also emphasise significant factor icts used rather ownership