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Abstract
This work provides a methodological framework for the analysis of the Italian supply chain for non-GM
soybean meal, with particular regard to the upstream stages between overseas producers, international
traders and feed manufacturers. Using the information collected from a set of interviews with industry
representatives, we describe the organizational arrangements that agents adopt to minimize transaction
costs. Consistently with transaction cost economics, we examine the impact of asset specificity and
uncertainty on the coordination arrangements. We focus on two dimensions of uncertainty, namely: productquality
uncertainty and environmental uncertainty. We argue that the actual organizational arrangements
between transactors are consistent with the theory: whereas product-quality uncertainty and some degree of
asset specificity would lead to vertically integrated forms of governance, environmental uncertainty operate
in the opposite direction.