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The Shifting Political Economy of Tobacco Production in Malawi

Lonjezo Masikini et al.

European Journal of Development Research2026https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-025-00738-0article
ABDC B
Weight
0.50

Abstract

This paper examines the shifting political economy of tobacco production in Malawi, focusing on regional restructuring of the sector. Drawing on primary fieldwork conducted in Central and Southern Malawi, complemented by secondary data and document analysis, we explore how tobacco production has become increasingly concentrated in Central Region while declining in Southern Region. Integrating insights from Global Value Chain (GVC) analysis and Evolutionary Economic Geography (EEG), we suggest this restructuring constitutes a diffuse power shift jointly shaped by powerful actors pursuing overlapping but distinct interests. The result is a reconfigured tobacco economy that entrenches corporate control, and exacerbates regional inequalities. This adds a ‘meso’ analysis to more familiar ‘macro’ and ‘micro’ accounts of diversification, thereby contributing to the literature on agrarian change, value chain governance, and the political economy of development in sub-Saharan Africa.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-025-00738-0

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@article{lonjezo2026,
  title        = {{The Shifting Political Economy of Tobacco Production in Malawi}},
  author       = {Lonjezo Masikini et al.},
  journal      = {European Journal of Development Research},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-025-00738-0},
}

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.