Networks and Economic Exchange

Networks and Economic Exchange illuminates the seashell trade between Tanzania and India, answering previously unexplored questions. What is the material flow of seashells within Tanzania and beyond? Who are the actors involved, from the marine environment to the ultimate buyer, including indirect stakeholders? What networks have formed, and how do such networks facilitate the economic exchange of seashells? What is the life history and biography of the seashell from Tanzania to India? What governs the chain, including formal and informal forms of governance? What are the access to and distribution of benefits along the value chain? What is the ultimate driver of the trade, and how sustainable is this demand? This monograph answers these questions in order to fully understand the costs, benefits, and future of the seashell trade between Tanzania and India. This case study has larger implications for debates concerning livelihood development, access to trade, and the interconnections between rural areas of the developing world.