Information, Mobile Telephony, and Traders' Search Behavior in Niger
通过构建理论模型和面板数据分析，发现移动电话覆盖时长增加了尼日尔贸易商的搜索活动，且对大贸易商的长距离套利影响更显著，为移动电话与价格差异的关联提供了实证证据。
Information and communications technologies have spread rapidly in developing countries. We investigate the impact of mobile phones on traders' search behavior in Niger by constructing a theoretical model of search in which traders engage in sequential search for the optimal sales price. Using a trader panel dataset spanning 2005–2007, we find empirical support for the model in that the duration of mobile phone coverage is associated with increased search activity. This effect evolves dynamically over time and is stronger for larger traders, who engage in arbitrage over longer distances. Results provide empirical evidence for the observed linkages between mobile telephony and price dispersion.