Focus Areas

Overview

The focus in this thematic area is on understanding the broader governance landscape, development processes, especially in the Malawi context both in historical and contemporary perspectives. The main goal of IPOR is to understand the barriers and obstacles to development in Malawi given that it still remains one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world despite concerted efforts to stimulate development over the past five decades.

IPOR’s work in this area has included political economy of anti-corruption, decentralization policy reforms, agricultural development with particular focus on commercialization, role of political parties and development, and various forms of institutional reviews spanning several sectors albeit with particular emphasis on local level development experiences within the decentralized governance context.