It is no small feat for a book to bring together the expertise of internationally renowned sociologists, economists, political scientists, and geographers, of specialists in fields like public administration and governance, public health, education, natural resource management, tourism, and development for the sake of compiling an in-depth analysis of the social, political, and economic conditions of a given country. The present volume accomplishes just that. Guided by deep concern for a perpetual state of poverty that is all-too-often underrepresented, the authors formulate new questions and offer new insights into the challenging past, present, and future of Malawi, one of the poorest countries in early 21st century Africa.

Arne S. Steinforth, York University, Toronto.

Despite peace, political stability and consistent support for democracy, a majority of Malawi's population continues to live in poverty. This excellent and timely volume provides a nuanced analysis of both challenges as well as opportunities for developing this small, landlocked and beautiful country.

Dan Banik, Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo

In a concise way, the contributions to this volume capture essentials of Malawi’s post-colonial trajectory fifty years into Independence. The editors wonder at the beginning of their Introduction, “is writing a book about Malawi worth the effort?” - After reading the chapters that follow, the answer is clearly “yes”.

Henning Melber, Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala