The Nested Markets Approach: Analytical Conceptual Framework and Proposition of an Experimental Methodology

The article present the concept of nested markets and discusses his potentiality and utility as an heuristic device that might be useful in the study of markets. The article introduce the trajectory of the concept and the main discussions on nested markets and situate the approach among key theoretical traditions. The main goal of the article is to present a methodological tool that allow to identify and make classifications on nested markets, which is based on farmers’ perception of the different dimensions that make up these markets. The typology on nested markets presented in the article has an heuristic utility but it also allow the identification concrete situations and variables on nested markets which potentially will allow comparative studies to be carried out between different regions and countries, adding a historical, social and contextual component that still was missing. By doing so, the article also provide a contribution for the design of public policies that may foster and strength nested markets.