The Oxford Handbook of the Malawi Economy

This volume is the first ever publication to try to assess the performance of the Malawi economy since independence in 1964, by examining how the underpinning political and economic history and the associated policies and strategies have affected the country’s long-term socio-economic development. Part I deals with the political economy of Malawi’s development, examining the importance of good governance practices and effective institutions that promote constitutionalism, accountability, democracy, and rule of law to achieve the country’s development goals. Part II analyses Malawi’s macroeconomic and growth performance, highlighting the significance of effective fiscal and monetary policies that create an enabling economic environment for long-term sustainable growth. Part III looks at social development, highlighting the importance of eliminating human condition imbalances related to employment, income levels, inequality, health, and education, among others. Part IV discusses policies that have shaped Malawi’s agricultural performance, stressing the need to further develop and transform the agriculture sector while focusing on areas with high comparative advantage and potential, most notably dairy, fish, and rice production. Part V analyses the country’s industrialization and structural transformation process, deemed key to every county’s long-term sustainable growth and development. It emphasizes the need to promote sustainable industrialization and economic diversification while harnessing the potential of digital technologies, climate-resilient measures and practices, and the establishment of the AfCFTA. Part VI synthesizes the findings from the different chapters and develops a framework to inform the potential drivers and trajectory of the country’s future long-term growth and development.

Economic history · Economics · Political science · African history and culture studies · History