@article{Songsermsawas:211206,
      recid = {211206},
      author = {Songsermsawas, Tisorn and Baylis, Kathy and Chhatre,  Ashwini and Michelson, Hope and Prasanna, Satya},
      title = {Friends or traders? Do social networks explain the use of  market mechanisms by farmers in India},
      address = {2015},
      number = {1008-2016-80114},
      pages = {44},
      year = {2015},
      abstract = {A farmer's long-term relationship with a trader can  improve access to market information, but removes the  farmers' option to sell to other traders in a specific  year. Social networks could act either as substitutes to  traders, helping disseminate market information and  fostering economies of scale, or as complements, where  farmers help build relationships between their trader and  their peers. Using a household survey from India, we  investigate whether and how social networks are associated  with a farmer's choice to enter into a long-term  relationship with a trader. We find that peers directly  affect such choice. Further, we find that network  characteristics and the household's position within that  network influence the decision to have a long-term  relationship. Specifically, the more central position of  the household and the smaller number of connections with  other households, the higher the likelihood a household has  a long-term
relationship with at least one trader. We rule  out that these effects are driven by proximity.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/211206},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.211206},
}