Abstract for: Cournot markets in the field: The case of Zambian farmers

The Cournot model is very useful for representing atomized markets in the lab. It is well known that one must ideally follow a set of conditions to properly use the model. However, procedural concerns make it impossible to follow standard conditions in some specific cases. One example of this is the context of rural Africa where experiments typically are conducted outdoors and where subjects show varying degrees of literacy and familiarity with computers. In this article, we argue that the Cournot model can be used under non-standard conditions as a means to explore decision-making in contexts where procedural limitations do not permit the use of standard conditions. We use the case of the Zambian smallholder farmers as an example for this argument.