Remembering the Life and Thought of Thandika Mkandawire

Biography

Professor Thandika Mkandawire, the late Professor of African Development at the LSE and cherished ID colleague, was a giant in the field of development economics.  He came to LSE after distinguished periods as Executive Secretary of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), and was taken from us on 27 March 2020.  Thandika inspired the teaching of African Development in ID from 2009 to 2020, convening our African Development course, DV418.  Throughout his working life, Thandika brought a depth of knowledge and insight to the field of International Development, combining his academic degrees in economics with an encyclopaedic command of African history and politics and direct experience of life on the receiving end of colonialism (for more on Thandika’s life, see this interview published in 2019 in Development and Change). 

Thandika was a beacon of transformative research on African development, an inspirational thinker and a great teacher.  His research focused on the developmental potential and limitations of the African state, the role of democracy in African development, and the links between social policy and broader processes of industrial transformation.  He challenged lazy thinking about patrimonialism and African exceptionalism, and stimulated incisive analysis through iconic terms like 'democratic developmental states', structurally 'maladjusted states', ‘choiceless democracies’, and new paths of late development via ‘transformative social policy’.

Throughout his career, Thandika had an abiding commitment to nurturing the work of fellow African scholars, African students and students of Africa.  Dismissing the view of Africa as an exception, he encouraged scholarly engagement with African development as a lens into wider development challenges, encouraging an informed comparative approach both among African countries, and between Africa and other regions. Thandika’s research, teaching, and public engagement have inspired generations of scholars.  New cohorts of ID staff and students seeking original and incisive development perspectives are encouraged to explore the bibliographical resources and retrospective articles below to engage with his work. 

Thandika Mkandawire, Professor of African Development, LSE Inaugural Lecture, 2010

Upcoming Thandika Mkandawire Memorial Lecture 10 October 2024 , 3pm (CAT/ SAST). Keynote Speaker: Professor Tade Akin Aina. Hosted by CODESRIA and UNISA. Join the online lecture here: https://bit.ly/TM-Memorial-Lecture.