From colonisation to globalisation

A history of state capture by the tobacco industry in Malawi

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11905018
AutoresJulia Smith (0000-0002-5175-1109, Simon Fraser University, autor de correspondencia), K Lee (0000-0002-3625-1915, Simon Fraser University)
Año2018
Volumen45
Número156
Páginas186-202
Fecha de publicación2018-04-03
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaReview of African Political Economy (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0305-6244 • E-ISSN: 1740-1720
EditorialTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03056244.2018.1431213
PMID31467461
OpenAlexW2802560355
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas22
Referencias citadas22

Malawi, the world's most tobacco dependent country, has long defended the tobacco industry as essential to its economy. The impoverished living conditions of tobacco farmers, however, raise questions about the true benefits accruing to the country. While the government and industry often blame public health advocates for declining leaf prices, and thus lower returns to farmers, this article scrutinises these claims from a historical perspective. It argues that a context of state capture has characterised Malawi's tobacco industry, originating with colonisation and evolving since to become increasingly entrenched. The analysis is divided into four periods: colonial (1890s-1964); national (1964-1981); liberalisation (1981-2004) and accelerated globalisation (2004 to present). Each period demonstrates how industry interests influenced government institutions and policies in ways that increased dependence on a crop that only benefits a minority of Malawians. Today, a transnational elite prospers at the expense of local growers

Agriculture · Blame · Business · Colonialism · Context (archaeology · Cultivation of tobacco · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Economy · Elite · Geography · Globalization · Government (linguistics · Liberalization · Market economy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · State (computer science · Tobacco industry · Agricultural Innovations and Practices · Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Law