Small business and the self-organization of a marketplace

Abstract

In many developing countries such as China, the typical marketplace is a cluster of small shops or booths. We investigate an economic model in which circular causality, including search and matching between buyers and sellers, forms agglomeration forces. We find that an authoritative third party that reduces search costs is important in sustaining a large marketplace. However, it is unnecessary to reduce search costs to zero. Finally, the low capital requirement of setting up a firm helps to sustain a large marketplace owing to its increased product heterogeneity.