A minimum essential budget for a decent living - 2020 : a research study focusing on three low-income household categories

Abstract

The Minimum Essential Budget for a Decent Living (MEBDL) 2020 is the third in the series by Caritas Malta. In 2012, Caritas embarked on a bold initiative to help fulfil its mission of alleviating poverty and promoting human development and social justice. The goal was to determine the cost of a basic basket of goods and services which all people should be able to acquire in order to live a simple quality life. The first 2012 study was followed four years later by a second one. The MEBDL 2020 builds on these previous studies, keeping a similar methodology and vision. Thus, the two overarching objectives of the study are: • To revise the minimum essential components of a basket of basic goods and services to achieve a decent standard of living in Malta; • To calculate the minimum essential budget for three different low-income household categories in Malta based on this basket. . [Excerpt from Executive Summary]