Ephemeral Development Agendas and the Process of Priority Shifts in Malawi

Bibliographic Data

ID2308461
AuthorsNorma J Anderson (Norma Anderson Bridgewater State University, USA)
Year2017
Volume52
Issue7
Pages915-931
Publication date2017-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Asian and African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-9096 • E-ISSN: 1745-2538
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0021909616630567
OpenAlexW2280124541
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited48

Drawing on 70 interviews with civil society staff in Malawi, I argue that when development trends and issues in the country change, at donors' wishes, organizations proactively strategize to vie for donor funds. Collected over three research trips, my data show that between 2008 and 2010 there was a widespread belief among civil society in Malawi that climate change was becoming the "it" issue, surpassing HIV/AIDS in predominance. Alongside this belief, there was a dynamic, if invisible, process of organizational repositioning. Comparing the earlier interviews with those conducted in 2014, I contend that the issues of focus, while interesting, are less telling than the ways Malawian organizations endeavor to adapt and respond to them. This paper adds a critical dimension to development literature, investigating a process that occurs when development agendas change

Civil society · Economic growth · Economics · Ephemeral key · Political science · Politics · Process (computing · Public relations · Sociology · TRIPS architecture · Engineering · International Development and Aid · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare · Tourism, Volunteerism, and Development

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