Table 2 Key variables used in the analysis and prior elicited information
From: Performance, behaviour and organization of maize trading in Malawi
Variable | Description | Prior source | Mean (SD) |
|---|---|---|---|
Maize prices | Prevailing price of maize (MK/kg) | MoAFS, IFPRI, ADMARC | 35 (25) |
Profit | Price Cost Margin (PCM) (MK/kg) | MoAFS, IFPRI, market chairperson | 25 (12) |
Trader is male | Proportion of traders who are male | Observation | .75 (.20) |
Registered business | Whether business was registered | MRA, market chairperson, MCCCI | .20 (.10) |
Export licence | Whether the business has an export licence | MCCCI, market chairperson | .05 (.03) |
No. trader | Number of traders in the market | District council, observation | 28 (17) |
Asset replacement | Frequency of asset replacement | – | Flat |
Search time | Time spent searching for market information (minutes) | 120 (60) | |
No. family | Number of family members in maize business | – | Flat |
Business age | Age of the business | MCCCI, trader | 5 (10) |
Coverage | Geographical coverage of the business | Trader, market chairperson | 15 (8) |
No. friends | Number of friends in maize business | – | flat |
No. regional traders | Number of regional traders interacted with | Market chairperson | 5 (3) |
No. district traders | Number of district traders interacted with | Market chairperson | 12 (5) |
Experience broker | Experience interacting with brokers (years) | Market chairperson, brokers | 5 (6) |
Religion | Religious affiliation of the trader | Market chairperson | |
Christian Catholic | 25 (10) | ||
Christian Protestant | 35 (10) | ||
Islam | 10 (5) | ||
African religion | African religion and others | 5 (2) | |
Trader tribe | Tribe and mother tongue of the traders | Traders, market chairperson | |
Chichewa | .74 (.12) | ||
Chiyao | .15 (.05) | ||
Chilomwe | .10 (.05) | ||
Chisena | .01 (.01) |