Being budget week I suppose it's more than legitimate to bring up the 'give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar' argument, especially when focusing on the social constituent of the government's plan for the coming year, which seems to be a decisive building block of the 2015 budget.

In all truth considering the ostensible return we get in terms of monies compared to what we invest in the social sector I feel it is more than opportune to ponder on how best to use the resources dedicated to this field. 

Essentially we need to start by reflecting on how we are going to sustain growth and transmit it where it is required.  This I feel remains the foremost responsibility of Government. 

Encouraging the private sector to take on a central role in developing our economies is a mantra the current and past governments have been calling for. 

However with a sense of 'business' and the generation of wealth should come the assurances that policies are designed to support segments of the population who are dropping by the way side. 

For this to happen we need to have responsible command. 

Good and thoughtful use of the economy will replenish and support our communities when and if needed.  For this reason the economy is rendered successful if it works for everyone and not just for the few. 

With this comes good governance and indisputably improving ic-civil is a must. Too much waste in that area. 

People who are paid to support the Government's program end up stalling it, tripping the switches and making it virtually impossible to go through at times. 

This should be a no-go especially in the social sector. 

The civil service is there to take care of citizens, provide for them and facilitate and implement the government's social program.  The civil service should be exemplary. It has to lead in efficiency and not unwieldy, it has to be vigilant and reactive and not oblivious and injudicious.

This country of ours also needs to embrace social policies that take into account the economic realities, sensible social policies, I would call them.  On the other hand benefit penalties should be considered if claimants refuse to show that they really want to connect with the community. 

We also need to adapt and reform to make certain we are not left behind.

Anti-competitive practices should be discouraged and stability, prudence and job opportunities ought to be a priority.

Given the scale of the deficit, there is a need to spread the burden of adjustment to make it economically and socially credible. 

Social welfare can achieve considerable savings by reforming the way in which the system works. Savings can be made by a more robust organization implementing anti-fraud measures, means-testing procedures, introducing the concepts of case work, bringing in centrally collated data and establishing stricter policy-strategy procedures. 

Economy, like money, does not grow on trees but develops in streets.  I believe that the time is right for our politicians to begin a public debate about what kind of economy we want for Malta and how we might create it. 

We need to think outside the box and try to understand what makes us good in what and why. 

Central to this debate should be the political economy that has to be founded on sustainable economy.

We live in a consumerist society that is constantly enticing citizens to spend, with marketing pressure pushing people to the brink at times, especially when the purchasing power of the individual falls short of one's 'expectations'. 

As a result it is crucial to have systems in place that guarantee consumer security and we need to embed in our policy systems purchaser education. We could also do with guaranteeing the necessary regulations and enforcement systems for the protection of the consumer that are in place and effective. 

Together with this we should ensure sustainable natural resource management, greater industrial democracy, a solidarity based economy, co-operative societies and social enterprises. 

It is essential that we introduce 'social and consumer impact assessments' when embarking on new projects to guarantee the access to public procurement and responsible consumption by public authorities.

The economic debate within a social policy discourse is a crucial one that ensures that industry and services, production and consumerism are closely engaged within a scenario of mutual respect between citizens and regard towards our communities. 

Andrew Azzopardi presents Ghandi xi Nghid and lectures at the University of Malta