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Title: | Opening the door? : understanding shifts in Maltese immigration policy with regard to third-country nationals |
Authors: | Spagnol, Ryan |
Keywords: | Immigrants -- Malta Foreign workers -- Malta Immigrants -- Government policy -- Malta |
Issue Date: | 2017 |
Abstract: | “A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in... And how many want out”’ – Tony Blair Migration is an ever-developing phenomenon, yet it is characterized by one important principle which is common to all occurrences of migration throughout the history of mankind. People move from one place to another because they are enticed by positive aspects prevailing in the destination. This dissertation has been written at a period where Malta is facing an unprecedented influx of third-country nationals who are being admitted to the island in order to take up employment. Up to a few years ago, Malta was not considered as a country of immigration. The research seeks to identify the phenomena which led to such transformation, especially in light of the country’s changing economic trends and employment levels. The research presents an extensive account of Malta’s immigration policies in the last half a century. In the initial years of this period, Malta was in a completely different state than it is today. As a matter of fact, thousands of Maltese people were seeking better pastures abroad. Similar to the third-country nationals who are presently working in Malta, the Maltese were back then seeking a better life far away from their homeland. The main research question of this study takes note of Malta’s current open-door policy on immigration, automatically implying a shift from the island’s traditional protectionist approach on immigration. In relationship with such shift, the study also focuses on the factors which influenced government policies on immigration. It assesses whether the Maltese authorities were engaged in a proactive management strategy on labour migration or simply reacted according to the changing trends of the economy. The presentation of evidence in the research highlights the shift in Malta’s immigration policy. Moreover, it reflects on which factors had the biggest impact on the inflow of thirdcountry workers into Malta. Users of the research will be able to understand the motivations of policy-makers behind fifty years of public policy in the field of migration. |
Description: | M.A.PUBLIC POLICY |
URI: | https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/25963 |
Appears in Collections: | Dissertations - FacEma - 2017 Dissertations - FacEMAPP - 2017 |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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17MAPUP003.pdf Restricted Access | 1.97 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open Request a copy |
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