The politics of Bluefin tuna in Malta

This paper analyzes the politics of bluefin tuna in Malta within the first years of EU accession (2004-9). The paper concludes that despite making certain impacts, ENGOs were unsuccessful in creating a hegemonic formation to stop the fishing of bluefin tuna until stocks recover.peer-reviewe

Nature, society and social change

Environmental destruction has become an everyday reality in the contemporary world. Major concerns are being put forward regarding the dangers to the environment in general and to human societies in particular, with strong focus currently being put on climate change. Sociology has an important role to play in the analysis of environmental problems. The interaction between nature and society can be analysed through the concept of overdetermination. At the same time, the social construction on environmental problems is imperative for environmental issues to reach the agenda. An active environmental sociology which is as much concerned with analysis as it is with social change, should clearly highlight that claimsmaking and political strategy is imperative in the tackling of environmental issues within the public sphere.peer-reviewe

Social interaction of cancer survivors in Malta : a sociological analysis

This research analyzes social interaction of cancer patients in Malta. In particular it applies a qualitative sociological approach to verify how cancer patients interact with family members and society. The research concludes that social interaction of cancer survivors in Malta is characterized by mixed experiences, but at the same time, all cancer patients emphasize the importance of family support. A major finding is that cancer patients do not simply receive support from family members, but also provide it themselves to their relatives. This is not an intended effect of cancer survivorship, but nevertheless it helps strengthen social bonds within families of cancer patients.peer-reviewe

Exploring Malta's welfare model

The paper compares the Maltese welfare state with other mainstream welfare regimes. It makes use of Esping-Andersen’s concepts of decommodification and stratification, whilst also looking at political and ideological factors. The European context in general, as analyzed by Roche, and the Southern European context in particular, as analyzed by Ferrera, are given particular attention. For this purpose, qualitative interviewing and analysis of secondary data was analysed through a sociological perspective. The paper argues that Malta has a hybrid model which does not neatly fit in one particular model of welfare. Indeed it has similarities and differences with other welfare models such as the Liberal, Social-Democratic, Continental and Southern European. However Malta must also keep in line with targets set by the European Union, which in turn are likely to influence Malta’s welfare model.peer-reviewe

Green jobs from a small scale perspective : case studies from Malta

Sustainable energy policy and its potential to create green jobs in Malta, as seen from the point of view of Maltese civil society, provides the basis for a critical analysis of the development of environmental policies in Malta. The discussion is based on data emanating from a qualitative type of survey conducted among the key persons involved in the main organisations representing the Maltese civil society. What emerged from this data is that there is a high level of awareness among members of Maltese civil society about the need to create more green jobs and the formulation of an effective policy of sustainable development. Respondents stressed the challenges inherent in a small island sovereign state suffering from peripherality and insularity. However while acknowledging these constraints, respondents expressed a high degree of optimism about the implementation of an effective green policy. They maintain that part of the solution lies in devising innovative practices by means of which Maltese policy makers would exploit Malta’s geographical position and harness all possible material and human resources. However to achieve such a goal the process has be consultative and participative.European Parliamentpeer-reviewe

Nonlinear Energetic Particle Transport in the Presence of Multiple Alfvenic Waves in ITER

This work presents the results of a multi mode ITER study on Toroidal Alfven Eigenmodes, using the nonlinear hybrid HAGIS-LIGKA model. It is found that main conclusions from earlier studies of ASDEX Upgrade discharges can be transferred to the ITER scenario: global, nonlinear effects are crucial for the evolution of the multi mode scenario. This work focuses on the ITER 15 MA baseline scenario with with a safety factor at the magnetic axis of $q_0 =$ 0.986. The least damped eigenmodes of the system are identified with the gyrokinetic, non-perturbative LIGKA solver, concerning mode structure, frequency and damping. Taking into account all weakly damped modes that can be identified linearly, nonlinear simulations with HAGIS reveal strong multi mode behavior: while in some parameter range, quasi-linear estimates turn out to be reasonable approximations for the nonlinearly relaxed energetic particle profile, under certain conditions low-n TAE branches can be excited. As a consequence, not only grow amplitudes of all modes to (up to orders of magnitude) higher values compared to the single mode cases but also, strong redistribution is triggered in the outer radial area between $\rho_\mathrm{pol} =$ 0.6 and 0.85, far above quasi-linear estimates.Comment: 14 pages, 20 figures; To be published as special issue in PPCF 12/2015 for EPS Lisbon invited tal

The bird hunting referendum in Malta

nvironmental NGOs (ENGOs) have an important role in the implementation of EU policy. They use links with European institutions to promote their grievances, particularly when they are unsatisfied with results of lobbying at a national level on matters covered by EU legislation. The Wild Birds Directive is a case in point. This piece of legislation has conservationist aims that are shared by ENGOs such as Birdlife International, which is active in all EU member states. The European Commission has taken legal action against Malta, Cyprus, Spain, Italy, and Austria for violating this Directive. However, environmental issues linked to EU legislation have a strong national dimension. The case of bird hunting in Malta during spring is a good example. The issue has been the subject of intense political controversy and lobbying, and despite a decision by the European Court of Justice, it remained unresolved at a national level. The issue eventually escalated to a national legally binding referendum, held on 11 April 2015. Turnout for the referendum was 75%, and the ‘Yes’ movement, which campaigned in favour of hunting in spring, emerged victorious, winning 50.4% of the vote, a mere 2220 vote advantage over the ‘No’ movement.peer-reviewe

Some characteristics of small economies

It cannot be stated that small economies are generally richer or generally poorer than large economies. Out of a total of fifty five economies with a population of less than one million. the World Bank classifies twenty two as High-income economies. with a GNP per capita comparable to those of OECD countries. twelve as Upper-middle-income economies, fourteen as Lower-middle income ones and the remaining seven as Low-income economies. This distribution of small economies in terms of GNP per capita shows quite clearly that there is considerable variation in their economic performance. However small economies do have certain similarities in view of their size. In this paper four issues associated with small economies will be dealt with. These are degree of dependence on foreign trade the degree of concentration on a few exponed types of goods or services and the size of the public sector and the special vulnerabilities of small island economies. Since we are dealing with small. as against large. economies. it is necessary to define what is a small in this regard, and the paper starts with a description of the indices used to rank countries in terms of size.peer-reviewe

The economy of Okinawa : performance, problems and prospects

The Japanese prefecture of0kinawa1 lies between the Japanese mainland and Southeast Asia (see Figure 1) and is made up of 160 islands' of which 50 are inhabited, with Okinawa main island being by far the largest one. The islands can be divided into three major groups, namely (a) the Okinawa Island Group' b) the Miyako Island Group and (c) the Yaeyama Island Group. They lie scattered across a vast sea area of 1000 kilometres in the East-West direction and 400 kilometres in the North-South direction. The total land area of the prefecture is 2264 square kilometres, of which around 80% is taken by four islands (see map below), namely Okinawa Island (1193 square kilometres), Iriomote Island (284 square kilometres), Ishigaki Island (221 square kilometres) and Miyako Island (159 square kilometres).peer-reviewe