Academic literature on the topic 'Malawi Case studies'

This thesis complements and extends understanding of the contribution of new approaches to development to the goal of achieving sustainable rural livelihoods. This is achieved by critically evaluating the concepts of agricultural sustainability and rural livelihoods. This study examines the use and management of natural resources by smallholder farmers in central Malawi. Development interventions by PROSCARP, a development project running nationally in Malawi and funded by EU, within the case study area were evaluated. This thesis has focused on land degradation and critically evaluates the new participatory or bottom up development paradigm in light of large-scale project interventions for land husbandry. A multidisciplinary approach, utilising a range of qualitative and quantitative methods provided a sound empirical basis for assessing the complexities of rural poverty and development interventions. This thesis identified a wide range of interlinked rural problems and opportunities. This clearly indicates that a single issue, such as soil conservation, cannot be separated from other aspects of sustainable rural livelihoods. This thesis therefore argues, on the basis of empirical evidence, as well as a critical review of the literature, that agricultural sustainability must encompass all aspects of rural livelihoods. The response of farmers to development interventions is highest for technologies that directly cater to their needs or which are based on local knowledge and technologies. This thesis highlights the need to identify and target appropriate interventions for individual households. Analysis of livelihood strategies also revealed a wide diversity of income sources within the case study area. The potential for increasing agricultural production is limited by landholding size and the potential for farmers to further diversify their income or food sources should be investigated in more detail. The evidence from the literature shows that participatory development processes have achieved successes in small-scale projects. This research concludes that it is also possible incorporate and change the type of participation in a pre-existing large-scale project. The analyses in this thesis suggests that unless interactive participation or self-mobilisation is achieved there is a strong possibility that introduced technologies will not be sustained and the community may not feel the long-term benefits of the project. The main obstacle to achieving interactive participation in a large-scale project is the empowerment of the beneficiaries. Finally, in light of the results of this research a number of recommendations are discussed which include a suggested focus on individual households or marginalized groups within a community, and a clear strategy for passing control of the project to the beneficiaries to ensure long term benefits after project withdrawal.

Even though agriculture is the backbone of Malawi‟s economy, food insecurity has remained a continuous threat among the poor. Until the 1980s, Malawi had been achieving national food security through an extensive system of agricultural inputs and marketing subsidies. However, these subsidies were removed and at the same time, the agricultural credit system collapsed. Consequently, agricultural productivity in Malawi remained low, poverty remained pervasive and food insecurity remains a main constraint to national and household food security. Therefore, the success of the agricultural sector in Malawi is very critical for raising the living standards and for food self-sufficiency. In this vein, the study hypothesized that Malawi can only achieve sustainable agricultural development if its agricultural policies are focused towards intensifying agricultural productivity through active participation of smallholder farmers. The major aim of the study was to contribute towards an improved understanding of how the issues of sustainable agricultural development have been addressed in Malawi and how they have influenced the lives of smallholder farmers. The analysis of the results revealed that even though what was implemented in the 1970s to early 1980s was financially unsustainable, but it provided some solutions to the fundamental challenges of smallholder development in Malawi. However, the liberalisations eroded whatever economic benefits achieved then. Never the less, the re-introduction of the agricultural input subsidies restored back the means of production leading to significant transformation of the country from a net importer to a net food exporter. On the other hand, although the agricultural input subsidy programme is being commended for having helped in achieving food security, the study revealed that the programme requires complementary services of credit, extension, research and market to support it. This will provide an exit strategy, which can enable the producers to sell their produce at higher prices sufficient enough for them to afford agricultural inputs without subsidies.

Bibliography: leaves 355-379.<br>Recognition since the 1970s of the adverse consequences in developing countries of deforestation on the livelihood of farmers and the poorer segments of urban households, and on the environment, has led to extensive investments in energy research and household energy projects. Poor performance and failures of woodfuel projects and other policy interventions have led to a radical reconsideration and criticism of the woodfuel scarcity paradigm and associated methodologies and assumptions. Recent research has been focussing on developing a new methodological framework for integrated fuelwood and household energy policies. Against this background, the main objective of this research consists in exploring and evaluating concepts and hypotheses which may be used for developing an effective analytical planning and policy framework for household energy policy. Empirical research has been conducted by the author over several years in Malawi. At the macro level, the often poorly-understood and contentious relationship between population growth, land tenure and land-use changes, fuelwood use and deforestation is examined. Another major methodological theme in household energy policy formation is the conceptualization of farm household decision behaviour and their responses to fuelwood pressures. Relationships between fuelwood and agricultural policies are examined. A range of rural and urban policy interventions are studied in depth. The empirical evidence from Malawi shows that there is no universal set of policy prescriptions which neatly apply to all household energy issues in developing countries. Nevertheless, the complexity of the interlinkages between factors impacting on household energy production, distribution and use points to the need for a coherent conceptual framework. Integrated Household Energy Planning provides this, not in a simple step-by-step set of procedures, but rather in terms of an approach which is sensitive to the range of factors which need to be analyzed and understood before policies are formulated and implemented.

Malawi is seen as a society in transition, and as a consequence, it is argued, Malawian managers face particular problems where traditional and Western values intersect. The role of the Polytechnic of Malawi as a provider of management education in this environment is thus problematical. The thesis begins with a description of the Malawian business environment in its geographical, historical, political, cultural, economic and institutional forms, and then goes on to examine the problems practising managers themselves feel they face, and attempts to explain these problems in terms of the environmental factors described, and the environmental changes taking place. It is concluded, from the analysis conducted, that the environmental features discussed interact in a complex way to make Malawian managers averse to exercising initiative and taking decisions. The question of what the Polytechnic can do to help overcome this aversion is addressed. The field research was conducted in Malawi in the seven months January to July, 1980, during which time 207 questionnaires were administered to junior and middle managers working in all sectors of the economy at levels equivalent to Polytechnic graduate entry. In addition, a number of senior managers (both Malawian and expatriate) were interviewed, a case study was conducted in a manufacturing organisation, and a second questionnaire was administered to all business students at the Polytechnic. Extensive use of official statistics was also made where appropriate.

This thesis reports on an exploratory study of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in a developing countries context and with special reference to the mining and agricultural industries in Malawi. CSR in Malawi is progressively becoming a significant and complex area of investigation not only for business ethics scholars, but also to development scholars and practitioners. It is considered a crucial issue not only because of the complexity of the social, economic and political environment in which companies operate, but also because of the many social and environment impacts which business activities have on Malawian society. Whereas it is generally accepted that firms have moral responsibilities to respond to societal issues, crucially, evidence suggests that there has been lack of consensus on the nature of the responsibilities which a company should assume in a given society. Hence, the enlightened self-interest and stakeholder theories are critically examined to provide insights and inform the exploratory but empirically based CSR research which is fundamental to this thesis. Using a qualitative interpretative based case study strategy, this study examined the CSR agenda pursued by two firms operating in the mining and agricultural industries in Malawi. Findings from this study suggests that the current form of the CSR agenda practised by the case study companies in Malawi is largely guided by instrumental rationality rather than the normative perspective; the perspective some CSR theorists consider to associated with the CSR agenda pursued by companies in the developing countries. As such, this viewpoint can be understood to have a profound influence on the extent to which these companies make decisions about the CSR initiatives and stakeholder engagement practices they pursue as part of their CSR agenda in Malawi. This study makes the following contributions to the wider CSR literature. Firstly, it has provided an empirically based investigation of the CSR agenda in Malawi, and has directly contributed to attempts by scholars to develop an in-depth understanding of the nature of CSR in a developing country context; an area which is currently under-researched. Specifically, it has not only provided insights into managerial and stakeholders’ perceptions about CSR and about CSR drivers, but has also attempted to explore the link between the CSR agenda and the stakeholder engagement practices which the case study companies pursued. Secondly, this study pushes the normative frontier by showing that stakeholder engagement can be strategic, and can be used by companies in developing countries to pursue long-term corporate interests. It has done so by showing that corporate stakeholder salience patterns are a reflection of a series of complex interactions between instrumental influences (business case) and industry influences on firm. Finally, by having a combined focus on the stakeholder and the enlightened self-interest theories, this thesis has addressed the dearth of CSR research that draws insights from both perspectives in order to have a better understanding of variations in corporate orientations towards societal issues.

What are the policy-relevant factors that condition WASH sector performance in Sub-Saharan Africa? Close examination of three case study countries, Equatorial Guinea, Malawi, and Mauritania, reveals interesting insights. Delivery of WASH services is shaped to a large extent by the overall quality and structure of a country’s government. More specifically, having an excessive profusion of policy-making and policy-implementing actors can hinder WASH sector performance. Furthermore, governments may face strong incentives to invest more heavily in providing WASH services to urban areas over rural areas, and to invest more heavily in the water sub-sector than in the sanitation sub-sector. Adequate financing of WASH investment appears to be a necessary but not sufficient condition for performance in both the water and sanitation subsectors. Additionally, monitoring and evaluation appears to be a crucial factor in formulating and implementing effective policies. In the rural water subsector, a country’s institutional setup and technology choice can have a major impact on water source maintenance and operability.

The exchange rate is the price of one currency against another currency or currencies of a group of countries. Real exchange rates are important because they show the external competitiveness of a country‟s economy. Thus, when the exchange rate of a country is misaligned, this will affect its trade, production and the welfare of people. This study analysed macroeconomic determinants of the real exchange rate and dynamic adjustment of the real exchange rate as a result of shocks to these determinants. The study also determined the extent of misalignment of the real exchange rate in Malawi and Zambia and identified variables that contributed to it. Such information is important to policy makers. Quarterly data were used for both countries from 1980:1-2008:4. The literature review identified those variables that determine the exchange rate and these include government consumption, foreign aid, net foreign assets, commodity prices, terms of trade, domestic credit, openness and the Balassa Samuelson effect (technological progress). To determine the long-run relationship between the exchange rate and its determinants, we employed the Johansen approach and the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM). For robustness check on the long-run and shortrun effects of determinants on the exchange rate, variance decomposition and impulse response analyses were used. Results in the study show that in Malawi for both models, an increase in LAID, LGCON and LTOT resulted in real exchange rate depreciation and increases in LDC, NFA and LNEER resulted in an appreciation. In Zambia, increases in LAID, LGCON, LOPEN and LTOT caused the real exchange rate to depreciate while increases in LDC, NFA and LCOPPER led to an appreciation. Lagged LREER and LNEER were found to have short run effects on the equilibrium exchange rate for Malawi and lagged LCOPPER and LDC for Zambia. Periods of exchange rate misalignment were found in both countries. It was also found that the coefficient of speed of adjustment in Malawi in models 1 and 2 indicate that 11% and 27% of the variation in the real exchange rate from its equilibrium adjust each quarter respectively. The speed of adjustment for Zambia in both models was 45% and 47% respectively, higher than that of Malawi. Foreign aid has proven to be important in exchange rate misalignment in both countries, though this was not really expected in the case of Zambia. Given these results, it may be of interest to policy makers to understand which variables impact most on the exchange rate and how misalignment due to these determinants can be minimised.

Background: International agencies such as the World Health Organisation have highlighted the potential of digital information and communications technologies to strengthen health systems, which are underpinned by the 'building blocks' of information, human resources, finances, commodities, leadership and governance, and service delivery. In high income countries, evidence of the positive impacts of 'eHealth' innovations on the cost-effectiveness of healthcare is growing and many governments are now providing incentives for their adoption. In contrast, the use of eHealth in developing countries has remained low and efforts to introduce these new approaches have experienced high failure rates. There is even scepticism regarding the feasibility of eHealth in low-resource settings, which may be hindered by high costs, indeterminate returns on investment, technical problems and socio-organisational barriers. More research is needed to document both the value of eHealth for strengthening resource-limited health systems and the challenges involved in their implementation and adoption, so that insights from such research may be used to inform future initiatives. While many studies of eHealth for patient care in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are taking place, evidence of its role in improving administrative processes such as financial management is lacking, despite the importance of 'good governance' (transparency and accountability) for ensuring strong and resilient health systems. The overall objective of this PhD was to elucidate the enablers, inhibitors and outcomes characterising the implementation and adoption of a modular eHealth system in a group of healthcare facilities in rural Malawi. The system included both clinical and billing modules. The specific objectives were (i) to understand the socio-technical, organisational and change management factors facilitating or hindering the implementation and adoption of the eHealth system, (ii) to assess the quality of data captured by the eHealth system compared with conventional paper-based records, and (iii) to understand how information within the eHealth system was used for service delivery, reporting and financial management. A further aim was to contribute to the corpus of mixed-methods case studies exploring eHealth system implementation processes and outcomes (including data quality) in LMIC. As described in the following chapters, the research also gave rise to unanticipated and serendipitous findings, which led to new lines of enquiry and influenced the theoretical perspectives from which the analysis drew.