Publication: Mobile Phone Coverage and Producer Markets: Evidence from West Africa

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Date
2015-07
ISSN
1564-698X
Published
2015-07
Author(s)
Aker, Jenny C.
Fafchamps, Marcel
Abstract
Mobile phone coverage has expanded considerably throughout the developing world, particularly within sub-Saharan Africa. Existing evidence suggests that increased access to information technology has improved agricultural market efficiency for consumer markets and certain commodities, but there is less evidence of its impact on producer markets. Building on the work of Aker (2010), we estimate the impact of mobile phone coverage on producer price dispersion for three commodities in Niger. Our results suggest that mobile phone coverage reduces spatial producer price dispersion by 6 percent for cowpea, a semi-perishable commodity. These effects are strongest for remote markets and during certain periods of the year. The introduction of mobile phone coverage has no effect on producer price dispersion for millet and sorghum, two staple grains that are less perishable and are commonly stored by farmers. There are no impacts of mobile phone coverage on producer price levels, but mobile phone coverage is associated with a reduction in the intra-annual price variation for cowpea.
Citation
Aker, Jenny C.; Fafchamps, Marcel. 2015. Mobile Phone Coverage and Producer Markets : Evidence from West Africa. World Bank Economic Review. © Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/25842 License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO.
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