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Tracking agricultural spending when government structures and accounting systems change: The case of Malawi

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  • Mwabutwa, Chance
  • Pauw, Karl

Abstract

Tracking agricultural expenditure in developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa in a consistent and harmonised manner is important, not only in the context of the multilateral spending commitments made under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, but also in order to gain a better understanding of the impact and efficacy of spending. In this paper, a method for identifying and aggregating spending items from a variety of sources is developed to better understand how agricultural spending has evolved in Malawi. The results show that the central government receives around 90% of agriculture allocations, and this is largely spent on fertiliser subsidies, leaving only limited funding for core strategic functions such as research, extension and irrigation. More generally, lessons learned from the Malawi analysis could potentially be applied in other country contexts with similar experiences in terms of the evolution of accounting systems or government structures.

Suggested Citation

  • Mwabutwa, Chance & Pauw, Karl, 2017. "Tracking agricultural spending when government structures and accounting systems change: The case of Malawi," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 12(2), June.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:afjare:258605
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.258605
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Channing Arndt & Karl Pauw & James Thurlow, 2016. "The Economy-wide Impacts and Risks of Malawi's Farm Input Subsidy Program," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 98(3), pages 962-980.
    2. Dominique Bouley & Davina F. Jacobs & Jean-Luc Hélis, 2009. "Budget Classification," IMF Technical Notes and Manuals 09/06, International Monetary Fund.
    3. Pauw, Karl & Beck, Ulrik & Mussa, Richard, 2014. "Did rapid smallholder-led agricultural growth fail to reduce rural poverty? Making sense of Malawi's poverty puzzle," WIDER Working Paper Series 123, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Arndt, Channing & McKay, Andy & Tarp, Finn (ed.), 2016. "Growth and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198744795.
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