Ethnicity and Networks in African Trade

Marcel Fafchamps

No 2002-20, CSAE Working Paper Series from Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford

Abstract: This paper investigates the role of ethnicity and networks in domestic agricultural trade in Africa. Using a theoretical model of self-disciplining markets, we begin by demonstrating that statistical discrimination and networks can generate similar patterns of ethnic concentration. We then test these ideas using original survey data collected in Benin, Malawi and Madagascar. We find no evidence that members of a particular sex or ethnic group are more easily trusted by suppliers and trust clients more easily. In contrast, network effects have a strong and systematic effect in tsut and information sharing. Women accumulate working capital slower than men, including in Benin where women represent 80% of surveyed traders. This does not suggest the presence of discrimination. Agricultural trade appears open to all, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, or religion.

Date: 2002
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4b73382b-8816-4614-b87c-c049102df5b4 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Ethnicity and Networks in African Trade (2004)
Journal Article: Ethnicity and Networks in African Trade (2003)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:csa:wpaper:2002-20

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in CSAE Working Paper Series from Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Julia Coffey ().