Development in Africa. Remembering Thandika Mkandawire – e-Book

Description

The book is a fitting tribute to Thandika Mkandawire, one of Africa’s most prolific scholars in the disciplines of social science and political economy. The volume succinctly articulates his contributions to the discourse of development in Africa. It presents Mkandawire’s thinking around an alternative Africa, an alternative which is predicated upon a radical shift from an external, neoliberal, market-based logic to a more African-defined and centred developmental approach that is driven and sustained by what he referred to as a national, democratic and developmental state. Building on a critical analysis of the extensive works of Mkandawire and drawing on the views of experts who had both personal knowledge and interaction with him, the book presents a compelling narrative of Mkandawire’s contributions to the discourse on development in Africa, particularly highlighting his emphasis on the imperative for a transformative social policy. While sadly, Mkandawire has passed on, this book certainly immortalises his scholarship. By embracing and implementing his ideas on social and economic development, African countries can make significant advances in ending poverty, underdevelopment and exclusion.

The book is certainly a must-read for policy makers, development practitioners, academics and all those interested in Africa’s development.

Theresa Moyo (professor and member of the Executive Committee of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa)