Pension reform in Malta : a case study of policy analysis

Abstract

Although there was recognition of the problem of adequacy and sustainability of the pension system and the political will to address the issue since the mid-nineties, no political consensus seems to have been adequately achieved on the response necessary to tackle the pension issue. This is symptomatic of the lack of agreement, at a political level, of the urgency and extent of the problem. As a result of the lack of consensus, a fully-fledged reform did not materialize until 2004 when the Government of Malta appointed the Pension Working Group to review the pension system and present findings and recommendation for an adequate and sustainable reform. The aim of this study is to analyse the process how the pension reform in Malta was introduced, developed from a proposal to a policy to be able to evaluate results.