Related Papers
Journal of International Development
Malawi's Political Settlement: Crafting Poverty and Peace, 1994-2014
2017 •
Diana Cammack
Journal of African elections
A Critical Stock Take of Malawi’s 19 May 2009 Elections: Processes, Outcomes and Challenges
2010 •
Blessings Chinsinga
Fragmented Governance and Local Service Delivery in Malawi
Fragmented Governance and Local Service Delivery in Malawi
2014 •
Tam O'Neil
During a research trip to Malawi in 2012, a senior government official commented that nearly two decades after the government had renewed its commitment to democratic decentralisation, the working of local government was something of a ‘black box’. Ahead of local council elections in May 2014, the resulting study helps government and donors to understand how local government and service delivery work and to assess whether the return of local councils is likely to improve their functioning. Well-known problems in Malawi’s health, education and water sectors arise largely from institutional and governance problems. The study focuses on the delivery of these services in Blantyre City and Dedza and Rumphi Districts, where local government is characterised by dual administration, unclear mandates and functional fragmentation. The competitive-clientelist political settlement crafted by elites is the underlying cause of local dysfunctions, for the settlement drives policy incoherence and undermines collective action at all levels of government. In turn, these shape the incentives, choices and behaviours of local officials and frontline providers and hamper the collaboration and coordination needed to delivery public goods. The return of local councillors in May 2014 is unlikely to improve governance and services significantly, and may further entrench clientelist politics in local administrations. Our analysis is deeply pessimistic in many ways. Nevertheless, we suggest that it is possible to reform institutions to improve local governance and services. Given the prevailing conditions, the challenge is to identify the types of institutions that can support public goods provision and, in the longer term, will nudge Malawians towards a more developmental political settlement. In line with this approach, we provide both principles of assistance and concrete suggestions for policy and programming that can help improve the delivery of local services and administration.
Political Geography
Perspectives on democratic consolidation in Southern Africa: The five general elections of 2004
2007 •
tony lemon
Institutions and actors in legislative decisions in Africa
2014 •
Samson Lembani
Empirisches Wissen über afrikanische nationale Parlamente, vor allem die formellen und informellen institutionellen Anreize in legislativen Entscheidungsprozessen der politischen Akteure, ist gering. Mit Institutionstheorie und Veto-Spieler-Analyse offeriert diese Studie empirische Belege für die Akteure und Institutionen in legislativen Entscheidungsprozessen in Minderheitsregierungen wie in Malawi. Die wichtigsten Ergebnisse sind wie folgt. Die wichtigsten Akteure sind die im Parlament vertretenen politischen Parteien, Justiz, Staatspräsident, CSO, Parlamentssprecher und Spender. Die nationale Verfassung und Parlamentswahlen sind die formellen Regeln zum Verhalten des Gesetzgebers. Informelle institutions-paternalistische Normen, Patron-Klientelismus und religiöse Verbindungen beeinflussen die Entscheidungen der Akteure stark. Das Plenum ist der strategische Veto-Punkt, wo Entscheidungen üblicherweise aufgehoben werden.There exists sparse empirical knowledge on the functioning of ...
Lack of Alternative Leadership in Democratic Malawi: Some Reflections Ahead of the 2004 General Elections
Blessings Chinsinga
Women’s Studies International Forum
Do Women Face a Different Standard? The Interplay of Gender and Corruption in the 2014 Presidential Elections in Malawi
2021 •
Lindsay J Benstead
Incumbency advantage and corruption are persistent features of Malawi politics, yet the incumbent Joyce Banda lost the 2014 elections. Drawing on national public opinion surveys and focus groups, we explore why incumbency advantage did not accrue to Banda. We argue that faced with a major corruption scandal, “Cashgate,” Banda paid a heavier price than male incumbents facing corruption scandals before and after her. Her electoral fate is consistent with studies demonstrating that women holding political offices are scrutinized more heavily than men, and when they transgress female gender stereotypes of incorruptibility, they are judged using a higher standard.
Future Agriculture. Research Paper
The political economy of the Ministry of Agriculture at the district level: The case of Rumphi district
2009 •
Blessings Chinsinga
Public Participation in Local Councils in Malawi in the Absence of Local Elected Representatives Political Eliticism or Pluralism?
Tiyesere Mercy Chikapa, Michael Chasukwa
Africa Spectrum
Process Tracing the Term Limit Struggle in Malawi: The Role of International Democracy Promotion in Muluzi’s Bid for a Third Term
2020 •
Daniel Nowack
Attempts to circumvent presidential term limits in African countries show a puzzling variation of success or failure. This variation is due to both international and domestic factors. However, how these interact is not yet well understood. This article analyses how international donors and organisations intervened in the attempted term limit circumvention in Malawi from 1999 to 2003. It differentiates between different types of instruments used by donors in democracy promotion, and, by doing so, contributes to the question whether donors in term limit struggles can contribute to genuine democratic consolidation. It employs deductive process-tracing based on an analysis of primary media sources and interviews conducted during field research. The results show that erosion of party support as a proximate and a strong civil society response as a mediate factor were important in saving Malawi’s term limit. Aid conditionality and democracy promotion by donors and international organisatio...
