Market Information Services

Abstract

Information is the lifeblood of most market economies. Nevertheless, attempts to jump start information flow by creating Market Information Services for food and agriculture usually fail. The author distills experiences and lessons from other studies and individual experts in the field on the reasons for such common failures and what can be done to avoid them. Critical topics such as institutional structure, dissemination methods, and funding are outlined to guide the reader through the basic issues that must be addressed in order to create a successful Market Information Service.

Keywords: Market Information Service; market data; price information; trade information; developing countries; marketing; agriculture, food, institutions, Market Information System

JEL Classification: H4, L1