Families and poverty in European Malta : a research agenda

Abstract

This chapter seeks to contribute to the research agenda on poverty among families in Malta. The chapter starts with a brief overview of the explanations for and effects of poverty in the literature, before turning to examine poverty statistics in Malta within a European context. Poverty rates among different household types are followed by an analysis of the impact of social transfers upon such rates. The data suggest a number of areas that merit further research in Malta, particularly in respect of recent measures targeted at single parents; the nature of persistent poverty and typical poverty trajectories; and the impact of income upon family formation. While data are not currently available about income adequacy among migrant families in Malta, the need for concerted study of this issue is underscored.