Taxes, Pollution and optimal abatement in an urban economy

Includes bibliographical references (p. 28)

Adult education in Malta

Book review of Mayo, P. (2008). Adult education in Malta. Germany: DVV International.peer-reviewe

Older adult education in a Maltese University of the Third Age : a critical perspective

The education of older adults has been considered the fastest growing branch of adult education in post-industrial countries and one of the most crucial challenges facing current adult European education. It has generated a significant number of research projects and publications seeking to analyse the character of third age learning. This article represents a further attempt, in Sandra Cusack’s words, to root down the expansion of older adult education programmes in ‘Critical Educational Theory’, as a distinct form of ‘Critical Sociological Theory’. Critical field research was carried out at the University of the Third Age (U3A) in Valletta (Malta), due to the fact that the U3A represents one of the most successful and important educational programmes specifically developed for older people. Data were interpreted through Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy and critical educational gerontological theory. The study revealed that despite the often reported positive functions of U3A for older persons and society in general, the Valletta U3A is grounded in mainstream and traditional models of educational practice which equate education as a one-way flow of information from teachers to students. The study concluded that as a result of such a ‘banking’ ideology, the U3A fails to act as an archetype of transformative education but is yet another euphemism for glorified occupational therapy that is both conservative and oppressive.peer-reviewe

The participation of Maltese older people in the voluntary sector

This publication is concerned with the interface between volunteerism and later life, with a special focus on the role that older adults can play in ensuring a better future for present and future generations. One of every four Maltese citizens is aged 60 and over, a state of affairs that will impact greatly on how local public policy is planned, coordinated and implemented. The ageing of Malta’s population warrants that government and civil society alike ceases to perceive older adults as a homogenous category, characterised by frailty and dependency, and instead, look at the immense opportunities that arise if older cohorts are mobilised into a productive force. In addition to active participation in the labour market, another highly promising area of policy development in productive ageing is volunteering. Indeed, all societies are experienced by a significant increase of people’s life- and healthexpectancies, so that a large percentage of older citizens enjoy some fifteen to twenty years of active retirement.peer-reviewe

Critical educational gerontology : a third statement of first principles

This article elaborates upon the initial statement of first principles for critical educational gerontology [CEG] established by Glendenning and Battersby some two decades ago, whilst taking stock of the body of critique levelled at such principles by the humanist strand in older adult learning. Keeping in mind the gritty realities which embed older persons in structured positions of social inequality on one hand, and the difficulty of subjects to work towards the transformation of such realities in individualist and self-directed ways, this article voices support for CEG. Acknowledging a need to renew CEG in line with contemporary socio-cultural realities, it is argued that the weakness of CEG lies in its current, rather than its potential, usage. Hence, the way forward does not lie in ditching the critical epistemological framework for late-life education, but to renew CEG in a way that rediscovers its liberatory spark in an excessively globalised and individualised world. It forwards four key proposals with respect to such a goal: a transformative rationale that challenges the cultural hegemony of neo-liberalism, the centrality of directive educators, embedding geragogy in a critical epistemology, and a praxeological engagement with historically accumulated concepts and practices.peer-reviewe

Linfield in the War Years

Editor’s note: This vignette provides a look back through 150 years of history as Linfield approaches its sesquicentennial in 2008. Marvin Henberg, professor of philosophy, is writing an illustrated history titled Inspired Pragmatism: An Illustrated History of Linfield College. Barbara Seidman, dean of faculty, is editing the text and will write an afterword for the book. It will be available through the Linfield College Bookstore this fall

European Union policy on older adult learning : a critical commentary

This critical commentary discusses the strengths and lacunae in the European Union’s policy on older adult learning. Late-life learning is deemed as a productive investment on the basis that it not only engenders positive returns of economic growth but also improves the quality of life and social development of older persons. This article argues that although European Union policy on lifelong learning does hold some promise toward more optimum levels of physical, psychological, and social well-being in later life, it remains characterized by a range of limitations ranging from mindless activism, to economic bias, to ageism.peer-reviewe

Transitions in Maltese society

Malta includes all the demographic characteristics of an ageing population, with future projections noting that the numbers and percentages of older persons are bound to increase in the coming four decades. It is also clear that changes in longevity, health and patterns of employment are transforming how older Maltese citizens are experiencing later life. It is therefore important that rather than viewing older people as merely high users of services, the government recognizes that older people have a range of characteristics, perspectives and interests, which should be identified, acknowledged and used to the benefit of society.peer-reviewe