Blessings Chinsinga is a Professor of Political Economy of Development at the Department of Political and Administrative Studies (PAS) at the University of Malawi since April 2014. He holds a PhD in Development Studies obtained in October 2005 from the University of Mainz, Germany through the Centre for Development Research (ZEF) domiciled at the University of Bonn. He attained his Master of Philosophy degree in Development Studies in July 1998 at the University of Cambridge, St. Edmunds College and his Bachelors' degree at Chancellor College, University of Malawi in August 1995. He joined PAS in March 1996, rising to Senior Lecturer in July 2002 and Associate Professor in July 2006. He has served in various administrative, managerial and leadership capacities as Acting Head of PAS; founding Coordinator for the Master of Development Studies Programme; Deputy Dean of Social Science for two consecutive terms; and as Deputy Director and Director for the Centre for Social Research (CSR), which is the research arm of the Faculty of Social Science at the University of Malawi. He served as Deputy Director and Director for the CSR between January 2013 and September 2021. He is widely published in his areas of expertise both locally and internationally in reputable publication outlets. His main expertise and areas of interest include political economy of development; politics of policy processes and political economy analysis; policy analysis and institutional development; rural livelihoods, food security and poverty reduction; democracy, governance and decentralization; and local level politics and development. He also runs a biweekly column in the Sunday Times, Talking Political Economy and he is IPOR's cofounding Senior Partner.