Unpacking the Meaning of 'Market Access'

2.1.6. Improvement of impact of policy frameworks

Recommendation: 3. Advocate to increase expenditures on research/data collection to inform investments that will affect strengthening of rural enterprise management in subjects such as transport, storage facilities, marketing of farm and non-farm products/services, distribution of seeds, etc.

Reference: Chamberlin, J. & Jayne, T.S, 2012, Unpacking the Meaning of 'Market Access': Evidence from Rural Kenya, Meta-analysis of evaluations, Volume 41, January 2013, Pages 245–264, Elsevier World Development, Amsterdam.

Sample Evidence: in a study of farm panel survey data on 1,233 farm households in 22 districts of Kenya between 1997-2010, Chamberlin and Jayne (2013) argue that cell-phones and new technologies lower transaction costs by improving traders’ ability to cultivate more spatially-diffuse networks and make use of faster price-discovery and negotiation times. Their findings suggest that investments in telecommunications rather than road infrastructure could be more efficient for lowering the costs of trade in remote areas.