https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/51907 Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:38:10 GMT 2026-04-24T16:38:10Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/120220 Title: Foreword Authors: Said, Emanuel Abstract: This fourth instalment in the series Public Life in Malta follows the tradition established in the prior three volumes by dealing with two major themes - politics and governance as well as policy yet offering a new slant by dealing with an under-researched area involving art, currency, and associated semantics. The volume, published by the Department of Public Policy, is yet another classic instance of research-based contributions on contemporary themes. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/120220 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/120210 Title: When elitism and populism clash : introducing the fourth volume [Analytical introduction] Authors: Vassallo, Mario Thomas; Tabone, Carmel Abstract: The fourth volume of this peer-reviewed book series embraces some of the latest works undertaken by public policy academics and practitioners. It delves wider and deeper into contemporary scenarios that have emerged in the previous three volumes, while encompassing new pastures of fieldwork research. Among others, this volume turns its focus on the changes in the electoral system, political stratagems within pandemic governance and the politicisation of an island's neutrality, as well as on specific policy domains ranging from poverty and social exclusion to behavioural environmental policies; from assessing fiscal policy to identifying trends and patterns of teleworking. It sheds light on the role of sociology in the formulation of policymaking and the internal reform mechanisms within political parties. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/120210 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/103224 Title: The Maltese General Election 2022 : applying the results to illustrate Malta’s PR-STV and its majority and gender corrective mechanisms Authors: Bezzina, Frank; Sammut, Carmen Abstract: An electoral system is defined as “the set of rules that structure how votes are cast at elections for a representative body and how these votes are then converted into seats in that body (Gallagher & Mitchell, 2008, p. 632). Since the birth of Malta’s Parliamentary democracy in 1921 (Fenech, 2021), this country has been using the Single Transferable Vote of Proportional Representation (hereinafter PR-STV) to elect Members of Parliament (MPs). This has also been used for Local Council Elections since 1993 and European Parliament elections since 2004. For the General Election, candidates run for elections on one (or two) of the 13 electoral districts, where Parliamentary seats are won by those who obtain the required quota. Five MP’s are elected from each district, excluding the bonus seats. The maximum length of a Parliamentary term is five years. On the 26 March 2022, voters elected the 14 th Legislature since Independence. This paper provides a step-by-step account of how 79 MPs were selected via the PR-STV; the Majority Corrective Mechanism; the Casual Elections and the Gender Corrective Mechanism, based on the official results published by the Electoral Commission (2022). Moreover, this paper evaluates the impact of the gender corrective mechanism and asserts that it must not be a stand-alone measure. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/103224 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/120209 Title: The politicisation of neutrality and Malta’s membership in the European Union Authors: Cachia, Jean Claude Abstract: Small states have been directly and indirectly affected by the competition between Great Powers and global shifts. Until few decades ago, the existence of small states was dependant on the Great European Empires, which constantly sought to expand their influence. Small states such as Malta only gained their independence after these Empires broke up. The end of the Second World War and the rise of organisations such as the United Nations, Council of Europe and the European Union meant that membership in these organisations and international law could be used by these states to attract funds, strengthen their institutions and protect their borders (Brady and Thorallson, 2021). Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/120209 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z