Malta's Budget 2027 is being prepared against a backdrop of global instability and pertinent questions about Malta's present and future development. In recent pre-budget discussions, Government has emphasised stability, workers, vulnerable groups, quality of life, and social dialogue. These are important objectives.
In this regard, sociology can help co-design evidence-based policymaking in various fields which directly or indirectly relate to social aspects.
The Malta Sociological Association (MSA) actively participates in the Civil Society Committee of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD), where we give our contribution to social dialogue. We also regularly participate in national and European public consultations on different policy areas.
A recurring principle in our submissions is the importance of evidence-based policymaking which takes social dimensions seriously. Economic, environmental, infrastructural, energy and technological policies do not operate in a social vacuum. They affect people differently according to variables such as income, age, gender, employment, locality, household circumstances, individual choices, access to services and other dimensions of social life.
One policy tool which MSA has repeatedly advocated is Social Impact Assessment (SIA). In our previous and current Budget proposals, we have called for greater mainstreaming of SIA across government entities and for the necessary resources to make this possible, including support for small and medium enterprises.
This principle goes beyond any single policy tool. Social Impact Assessment is one practical expression of a wider approach: policies should be informed by systematic knowledge of their social dimensions, including both their intended and unintended consequences, their impacts in terms of time and space, as well as the more and less visible aspects of social life.
Consider, for example, a major infrastructural project. Its significance cannot be understood only through its financial cost or technical specifications. We can also ask how it affects communities, accessibility, mobility, different social groups and people's quality of life. Similarly, an energy policy may have implications for affordability and energy poverty. Environmental policies can distribute costs and benefits differently across society. Technological change can create opportunities while also affecting employment, inequality, skills and access to services.
The social implications of policymaking and budgetary allocations should also be seen in terms of micro-policies that can have a considerable impact on people's lived experiences, including those who are not organised to make their voices heard. The continued relative underinvestment in accessible pavements and their upkeep and maintenance is a case in point.
Another important concept is that of social investment. Expenditure in social fields should not simply be reactive, taking place 'after' an event or crisis occurs. It should also be proactive, helping to equip people, groups, organisations and institutions to face the risks and opportunities they encounter in different situations. Malta does have a good number of policies in this regard, but there are areas where we can be more forward-looking. Transport is a case in point: the national debate has often focused on what look like impossible and 'electoral' mega-projects. Paradoxically, we tend to forget more grounded, simple and practical options.
In this respect, the recently announced agreement between MCESD and the University of Malta to strengthen cooperation in research is a welcome development. Bringing academic research closer to social dialogue can help strengthen the evidence available to policymakers and social partners. Such initiatives can also encourage interdisciplinary approaches.
Budget 2027 could thus provide adequate resources for social research and the analysis of the social dimensions of public policy. Policymaking inevitably involves political choices, competing priorities and decisions about the allocation of resources. But sociology can provide evidence that helps policymakers, stakeholders and citizens understand the social realities within which those choices are made.
These questions will also feature in the Malta Sociology Conference organised by MSA on 7 November. This year's theme, "Sustainability and Society", invites discussion of sustainability not simply as an environmental issue, but as something connected to social structures, economic systems, governance and everyday life.
Michael Briguglio is Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, University of Malta
www.michaelbriguglio.com