ABSTRACT
This chapter interrogates the design and implementation of the democratic decentralisation policy reforms in Malawi promulgated in 1998. It focuses on the democratic decentralisation policy trajectory, the key actors that influenced the policy reform, and how they influenced the nature and implementation of the policy in Malawi. It illustrates that the development of decentralisation policy reforms in Malawi was primarily driven by various donor actors acting in collaboration with some reformist elements in the national government machinery. The chapter also demonstrates how Gradualism underpinned decentralisation policy reforms and was circumscribed by various interests, characterised by bureaucratic resistance to devolve functions and resources to the districts. Together with poorly coordinated donor projects and political leaders’ unwillingness to facilitate competitive political pluralism at the local level resulted in a highly selective commitment to implementing decentralisation reforms. Therefore, although donor-driven policies may be initially adopted to secure the much-needed developmental aid, their actual implementation is not an automatic process.
