The Operation of an Informal Market: Bolgatanga’s Goat Market

Research on price trends in informal markets relies on visits to these sites and utilizing some kind of survey instrument. This paper begins with a broader question and adopts a more grounded strategy, asking: what are some elements of an informal commodity market in a developing country, such as a goat market, that can be identified in an ethnographic approach? Based on 18 months of field observations, the paper narrates the presence or absence of formal documentation and informal rules across three categories (price, care, and transportation) at its case study site of the goat market in Bolgatanga, Ghana. It finds that there is an almost complete lack of standard documentation seen in the everyday life of developed countries. It also notes the relatively stable, yet informal, practices with respect to bargaining and exchange and organized transportation to a point of sale. These social and cultural practices are likely important to any planned adjustment or intervention to ensure food security or simply improved market operation.