Abstract

RIVERA ROJO, Celso Rodrigo; OVANDO ALDANA, Wendy  and  NAVA ROGEL, Rosa María. Analysis of Information Costs of Coffee Producers in the South Region of the Estado de México: An Institutional Perspective. Región y sociedad [online]. 2023, vol.35, e1748.  Epub Dec 04, 2023. ISSN 2448-4849.  https://doi.org/10.22198/rys2023/35/1748.

Objective: to determine if formal and informal institutions and coffee organizations allow reducing information costs among coffee producers in the south of the Estado de México. Methods: through a sample of 100 questionnaires applied to smallholders linked to the market, an exploratory factor analysis and a binary logistic regression model were carried out. Results: the informal institutional framework built by producers through trust, social ties, reciprocity, and cooperation, as well as having a brand on the packaging, helps reducing information costs in the study context. Value: this investigation contributes with data to the information costs in agricultural markets theme, subject with limited literature. In addition, a proposal for its measurement is offered. Limitations: due to the difficult access to the study region, random sampling was not possible and the results cannot be inferred for the entire population. Conclusions: The absence of a formal institutional framework, allows informal institutions to transmit market information and reduce search costs. Such findings provide evidence regarding the importance of institutions in the economy, as indicated in the framework of the New Institutional Economics.

Keywords : social norms; agricultural economics; socio-economic analysis; economic information; Estado de México.