https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/51908 2026-04-15T06:36:11Z 2026-04-15T06:36:11Z Bugeja, Ian https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/52249 2020-03-15T06:09:21Z 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Sustainability issues of the Maltese pension system : the decommodification factor Authors: Bugeja, Ian Abstract: The above European Council Recommendation provides an alarming prospect on the long-term financial sustainability of the pension system in Malta. Moreover, by having an ageing population, Maltese society faces several risks particularly in the long-term. These risks range from the shortage of skilled labour, greater inequality of wellbeing among older people and inadequate levels of informal elder care (Formosa 2014). On the other hand policy makers must find the right balance between ensuring a decent standard of living for future and current pensioners whilst also managing the National Budget under close scrutiny of the European Commission. Moreover, the percentage at risk-of-poverty for the ‘65 and over’ age group stood at 17.3% (National Statistics Office 2012) as at 2012, thereby indicating that this fraction of society is already facing difficulties pertaining to income security. Yet it is clear that the Maltese welfare state is no longer in a position to sustain the full provision of pensions, and therefore the link between current and future provisions cannot be seen in isolation from the capitalist market. This means that in order for current and future elderly persons to avoid the ‘poverty trap’, different forms of income securities which can also be provided by the private sector, in-part or in-full, need to be taken into consideration. This paper makes recurrent reference to the concept of decommodification, or the ‘degree to which individual, or families, can uphold a socially acceptable standard of living independently of market participation’ (Esping Andersen 1990:30). The term ‘decommodification’ was originally postulated by Polanyi (1944). The latter opined that in the capitalist system labour is regarded as a commodity that has an exchange value (Polanyi 1944). Later, in 1990, Esping-Andersen used the same concept to explain the differences in the contemporary welfare system whereby welfare regimes had different levels of decommodification, depending on whether the provision of welfare (such as pensions) where provided by the State or by market forces (Holden, 2003). For this reason, the concept of decommodification should be seen as an antithesis of the notion of commodification, or a system whereby a good or a service is produced privately and can be bought or sold on the market (Standing 2005). With the above considerations in mind, decommodification will be used to explain the issues pertaining to the sustainability of the pension system, and to explore other alternatives that may serve as income security of pensioners of the future. These alternatives might include a move towards less decommodification, that is less provision of pensions from government, to more commodifcation (pensions provided from the private sector). The paper commences by making reference to the demographic challenges and the financial allocation from public funds required to sustain the pension system. This is followed by presenting the hypothesis and also explaining the mainstream welfare regimes as well as the concept of decommodification. Subsequently, an overview of the pension system in Malta is provided prior to delving into the decommodification variances of the Maltese system. The paper then argues for an imminent need of the introduction of the second-pillar system, and hence increasing commodification, by also making reference to three possible benchmarks, such as Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. The urgency for reform in the pension system is also highlighted by making reference to the checks and balances from the institutions of the EU, particularly the imposition of an Excessive Deficit Procedure on Malta by the former. Finally, the researcher proposes the way forward in order to address the issue of sustainability of the pension system, prior to concluding with potential areas for further research. Description: Includes a chapter at the end with contributors’ profiles

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z Azzopardi, Maria https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/52248 2020-03-15T06:09:24Z 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Maritime regulatory authorities : struggling between national and European pressures Authors: Azzopardi, Maria Abstract: Malta is surrounded by ‘The Great Sea’ that makes for a public good on which lucrative industries may thrive. Moreover the sea also serves other purposes, including cost-effective transportation and resource extraction, thereby creating competing economic activities. These activities and the markets emanating from them need to be regulated to ensure the avoidance of the ‘tragedy of the commons’ and the attainment of the common good. The benefits associated with this industry led the Maltese Government to value this sector as a core function on which Malta’s economy thrives. To this effect, over the decades, a number of proposals were set in motion to boost the maritime economic sector. In view of the importance of this industry, this paper analyses the development of regulation of Malta’s maritime sector initially through scholarly literature and then through fieldwork carried out in this area.

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z Unah, Katia https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/52247 2020-03-15T06:09:05Z 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Domestic coordination of EU polcy-making : the case of social inclusion policy Authors: Unah, Katia Abstract: Since joining the European Union in 2004 Malta has embarked on a learning path which can present obstacles in order to adopt and adapt to the Acquis Communautaire.1 One of the catalysts of this change is the Maltese public administration, which is adjusting and making way to new administrative and legislative procedures brought forward by the accession. Research on the coordination of EU policy-making in new member states is still juvenile, however, there are studies on the coordination of EU policy-making in the older member states (for e.g. Kassim et al., 2000) and on candidate countries from Central and Eastern Europe (Gwiadza, 2002). Taking into consideration the Maltese context, preliminary studies on how the EU Membership has impacted various areas have been conducted. For example, Bugeja (2006) and Cassar (2008) focussed on the national coordination of EU policy-making and its effectiveness from a general perspective, whereas, Harwood’s (2014) focussed on the Europeanization of the Maltese national administration and its changes as a Mediterranean Member State. In 2009, the European Documentation and Research Centre (EDRC), within the University of Malta, compiled a report entitled ‘Malta in the European Union: Five Years On and Looking to the Future’, which addressed various subject areas such as economic and industrial relations policy; public administration and legal issues; values, society and civil society; and Malta’s foreign policy. Furthermore, Vassallo (2015) explored the impact of the European Union on domestic civil society’s organizations and their gradual transformation at differing speeds and logics of Europeanization. This study complements other local research studies which were carried out on the national coordination of EU policy-making; with the aim of making a thorough investigation on social inclusion policy and how Europeanization is moulding Malta’s coordinating mechanisms and structures in this field.

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z Thake, Anne Marie https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/52246 2021-05-21T04:46:38Z 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Graduate underemployment in Malta : a case study Authors: Thake, Anne Marie Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to estimate the extent of over qualification1 (having a qualification which is above that is required to gain entry to the job being done) or underemployment of graduates2 working in an Educational Institution (Heckman, 2012). There are two main perspectives on underemployment - objective and subjective’ (Khan and Morrow, 1991). An objective perspective of underemployment refers to ‘the accepted standards and level of utilisation of individuals’ human capital in comparison to other graduates’ (Feldman, 1996; Scurry and Blenkinsopp, 2011). This can be measured in terms of educational requirements. A subjective perspective of underemployment focuses on the individual’s interpretation of their employment situation and their perception on the use of their skills and abilities (Khan and Morrow, 1991; Jones, Johnson and Johnson, 1995, Scurry and Blenkinsopp, 2011). This paper examines the relationship between the employment of graduates working in an Educational Institution in Malta and their respective qualifications. It is estimated from this pilot study that 45.5% of graduates with a bachelor degree and 42.5% with a master degree working in non-academic jobs are over-qualified; 33.3% of graduates perceive that they are not fully utilising their knowledge and skills (see Table 5). It is the author’s view that the results are indicative of over qualification or underemployment of graduates demonstrated in this paper and that policy makers should make more effort to implement policies which increase the demand for highly skilled individuals and not focus exclusively upon increasing the supply of graduates. Although the random sample was derived from one institution in Malta, the results are indicative and the conclusions derived from this data is that underemployment of graduates working in an Educational Institution in Malta exists.

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z