THE POLITICAL ECONOMY ANALYSIS OF ANTI-CORRUPTION REFORMS IN MALAWI A CASE OF THE NATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION STRATEGY

Abstract

This study is a political economy analysis of anti-corruption reforms in Malawi. The study is significant because there is a corruption problem in Malawi stifling development and there is need for a deeper analysis of the factors that are causing corruption to rise. The study adopted a qualitative research design using analysis of documents, key informant interviews and Focus Group discussions to obtain information. The study established that there has been an array of anti-corruption reforms in Malawi since 1995. Laws have been enacted, policies put in place, and governance institutions established to combat corruption. However, most of these reforms have not registered meaningful results as corruption is still on the rise in the country as demonstrated by various surveys. The study points to several factors being the cause for this outcome these include: the stakeholders who hold various interests, the structural features including politics and the weakness of institutions mandated to fight corruption. The study, therefore, concludes that despite efforts put in place to combat corruption, there are underlying factors that stifle the performance of reforms. These are embedded in the systems, the culture, the institutions and the people. The study further proposes further research to understand the deep factors that guide the behaviour of agents.