The Maltese economy : a macroeconomic analysis

Abstract

I have the honour to introduce tonight's official launching of Dr Lino Briguglio's book "The Maltese Economy - A macroeconomic Analysis". The way this event is being organised is somewhat unusual. The panel of speakers is not going to discuss, praise or criticise the contents of the book as usually happens in events of this type. In fact the topics of tonight's lectures are not even directly related to the contents of the book. The organisers of this event felt that time would be better utilised through lectures on topics of major interest. Since no one else is going to speak about Dr Briguglio's book on its official launching, I feel it is my task to say something about it. I consider the book to be a major contribution in the field of economics in Malta. The book presents a comprehensive description of the Maltese economy in as simple a language as possible. The author succeeds remarkably well in discussing topics such as "The Phillips Curve", "Monetarism" and "The Accellerator Principle" without using the technical jargon usually found in textbooks. This is perhaps the main attribute of the book. The publication however cannot be described as elementary, since it touches upon the most profound debates in modern macroeconomics.