Social Policy, Development and Democracy in Africa: Reconnoitering Thandika Mkandawire’s Philosophy

Social policy, development and democracy in Africa are dominated by externally engineered and controlled philosophies. This has resulted in policy regimes and architecture that fail to sustainably improve the wellbeing of the continent. The article is conceptual and utilises interpretive methodology, and Transformative Social Policy to draw insights from Thandika Mkandawire’s philosophy on social policy, development and democracy. The prime argument of the article is that Mkandawire’s ideas contribute immensely to interrogating and improving inclusive development, governance and social policy in Africa. Nonetheless, Mkandawire’s philosophy is not the sole pathway to Africa’s transformation, and cannot be applied uniformly across Africa.