Worker cooperatives in Malta : between self-help and subsidy

Abstract

This paper will introduce the attractions of worker cooperation, tempered however by the regrettable manner in which worker cooperative practices have not matched the promises. The Maltese cooperative sector is critically reviewed next, with a description of the few registered worker cooperative initiatives. The ensuing discussion, grounded in the concepts emergent from the review of theory and practice, Maltese experiences and from my own exposure in the field, highlights the peculiar nature of worker cooperative initiatives in Malta. Such characteristics serve as illustrative material on the Maltese social formation: the wary disposition of the Maltese towards cooperative ventures; a predilection for benevolent paternalist leadership and a deliberate ploy to tap the resources of an omnipresent and well disposed state apparatus. What is past is prologue, indeed.