District Assemblies in a fix: the perils of the politics of capacity in the political and administrative reforms in Malawi

Abstract

This article appraises the prospects of District Assemblies institutionalising local governance structures and processes that are responsive, democratic and capable of improving the livelihoods of the poor. District Assemblies have been established against the backdrop of a radically reconstituted policy, governance and administrative framework following the transition from one-party rule to multiparty democracy in Malawi in May 1994. The underlying argument of this paper is that the potential success of the District Assemblies is effectively hampered by widespread self-seeking tendencies and orientations among various stakeholders in grassroots development, strategically veiled as lack of capacity on the part of the decentralised planning framework. Unless these seemingly idiosyncratic tendencies are subordinated to the underlying noble cause of the decentralisation policy and institutional reforms, the trinity of good governance, development and poverty reduction in the evolving structures and processes of local government will remain a virtually unattainable ideal.

A vote of thanks is due to Christopher Dzimadzi and Chrispin Chikwama and the two anonymous referees for their insightful comments on the earlier draft version of this paper. The usual disclaimer, however, applies.

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Blessings Chinsinga

Currently a PhD candidate at the Centre for Development Research (ZEF), Department of Political and Cultural Change, University of Bonn, Germany.