Spurred by the ageing transition, many governments have made wide-ranging reforms, dramatically changing Europe's pensions landscape. Nevertheless there remain concerns about future costs, while unease about adequacy is growing. This study develops a comprehensive framework to assess pension...

Any difference that arises between the level of domestic saving and investment is reflected in the nation's current account position. Both domestic saving and investment can be sub-divided into private and public sector components, and gaps between these two variables can be easily computed....

In this paper the total number of employed and the full-time equivalent employment in Malta are estimated for the last three decades. These series give a new picture of the historical development of employment and productivity in Malta. The estimated full-time equivalent time series, in spite of...

In this paper, the total number of employed and the full-time equivalent employment in Malta are estimated for the last three decades. These series give a new picture of the historical development of employment and productivity in Malta. The estimated full-time equivalent time series, in spite...

The release of ESA 1995 GDP data for Malta has ushered in great changes in the way in which the Maltese economy can be analysed. Indicators computed from the new national accounts reveal that the Maltese economy has achieved a relatively high degree of convergence with the European average,...

This paper describes the monetary policy framework of Malta preceding EU accession and its entry in the EMU. It reviews the rationale behind the fixed exchange rate regime that constituted Malta's monetary policy framework and argues that entry in the EMU consolidates this framework and gives...

This paper reviews alternative pension systems and examines the arguments in favour of funded pension schemes. The benefits of the latter derive mainly from long-term economic efficiency gains rather than from the immediate relief of pressures on the fiscal balance. Indeed, the transition...

The prevention of social exclusion and poverty of elderly people is one of the key objectives of the national social policies. Bearing in mind the variety and diversity of national pensions and social assistance systems, the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) in the field of pensions was...

An attempt is made in this paper to arrive at an estimate of the output gap for the Maltese economy on a quarterly and annual basis. Two approaches are adopted, namely the Hodrick-Prescott filter and the aggregate production function method, with their results being benchmarked with the results...

Appraisals of international competitiveness are increasingly focusing on unit labour costs. In this paper, a unit labour costs measure is derived for the Maltese economy for the last two decades. In order to take into account structural shifts, separate indices are also derived for the effective...