Chapter 17 Spatial price analysis

Agricultural commodities are typically produced over an extensive spatial area and are costly to transport relative to their total value. These characteristics yield a complex set of spatial price linkages which are often studied to gain insights into the performance of markets. An extensive literature has addressed a wide range of issues relating to spatial price linkages. Issues relate to market conduct and performance, regional and international trade relationships, efficiency, and developing economy market performance. This chapter reviews issues related to economic and empirical models of spatial price linkages. The relative weaknesses and merits of each approach are identified.