Thandika Mkandawire


Thandika Mkandawire was a Malawian economist and public intellectual who was a Chair of African Development and professor of African Development at the London School of Economics.
He is a widely published scholar on the social sciences in Africa. His research focused in development theory and economic and social policy.

Personal life

He was born in Malawi, studied at Zomba Catholic Secondary School, and then moved abroad for university.

Career

Mkandawire received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Economics at Ohio State University.
Mkandawire worked as a professor at the Universities of Stockholm and Zimbabwe. He later served as a Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development and Director of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa CODESRIA. He was on the board of the Social Science Research Council.
Thandika Mkandawire was awarded honorary degrees by the University of Helsinki, University of Ghana and York University. He was Chair and Professor of African Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He was Olof Palme Professor for Peace with the Swedish Institute for Future Studies.

Death

Thandika Mkandawire died in Stockholm, Sweden, on 27 March 2020, aged 79, following a stroke in January the same year.

Publications