Friday 28 May 2021

Press Release: Future of Europe Conference - MSA submits its feedback

The Malta Sociological Association (MSA, registered Voluntary Organisation) has submitted its feedback to the  Conference for the Future of Europe, an EU-wide initiative which is currently in place.

MSA welcomed the Conference and adding that such public consultation should be mainstreamed across EU institutions and at different levels of governance.

MSA proposed that EU legislative options should measure, quantify and consider of the various costs of insularity experienced by small states, islands and isolated regions. This should then guide policy formation accordingly.

In its second proposal, MSA proposed that EU legislative options should factor in and take account of social impacts and the intersection of various factors.

The MSA text submitted to the Future of Europe conference reads as follows:

Small States and Social Impacts: proposal by the Malta Sociological Association

EU legislative options should measure, quantify and consider of the various costs of insularity experienced by small states, islands and isolated regions. This should then guide policy formation accordingly.

EU legislative options should factor in and take account of social impacts and the intersection of various factors.

EU legislative options mainstream social impact assessments , to ensure greater outreach and deliberation with stakeholders. 

Various methods, both quantitative and qualitative could be used within social impact assessments.  SIAs should involve the participation of different stakeholders. Analytic indicators should be provided and the entire process should be subject to peer review by independent experts in the field. This could help identify shortcomings and possible improvements to the same SIA.

SIAs should not be one-off exercises: They should be ongoing processes which engage with various stakeholders and which report back so as to ensure effective policy processes. They should also use complementary research methods so as to ensure reliable and valid data.

We refer to international SIA standards, for example those set by the International Association for Impact Assessment:


Tuesday 25 May 2021

Press Release: Towards a Modernised Corrective Legal System: Malta Sociological Association Presents Proposals

The Malta Sociological Association (MSA, registered Voluntary Organisation) has submitted its feedback to the Ministry for Home Affairs, National Security and Law Enforcement about the White Paper Towards a Modernised Corrective Legal System: The Government’s vision of having modern corrective systems, whilst safeguarding the victims of crime, Public Consultation on an Electronic Monitoring legislation.

In this regard, MSA welcomed the public consultation, adding that in moving towards modernised corrective legal system, there should be an ongoing process of social impact assessments. SIAs could provide valuable evidence for policy formation, the implementation and enforcement on electronic monitoring.

 

SIAs are recommended by MSA as they would give a holistic picture about various opportunities, risks, changes and impacts which take place across time and space. Such legislation will impact both the persons eligible for electronic monitoring as well as society at large. SIAs include a close insight about: how the eligible persons for electronic monitoring would feel wearing a tracker that could be visible; the impact of stigma; how society at large feels and behaves when encountering a person with a tracker; as well as how the co-workers and colleagues at educational institutions respond, amongst others.


  Various methods, both quantitative and qualitative could be used within social impact assessments. The former refers to generalisable data especially through numbers, while the latter produce in-depth data on matters. Research methods in SIAs may therefore include, for example, quantitative perception surveys and qualitative methods which involve a deeper look into social realities.

 

Besides, expert interviews may verify the advice, concerns and interpretations of persons who are experts or who have experience in the respective field under analysis. 

 

SIAs should involve the participation of different stakeholders, ideally through mixed research methods. Analytic indicators should be provided, and the entire process should be subject to peer review by independent experts in the field.  This means that if a study is being carried out by a team of scientists (social, natural etc.), this should be scrutinised by other independent scientists. This could help identify shortcomings and possible improvements to the same SIA.

 

In its feedback, the MSA referred to international SIA standards, for example those set by the International Association for Impact Assessment, which is accessible from this link:

 

 https://www.socialimpactassessment.com/documents/IAIA%202015%20Social%20Impact%20Assessment%20guidance%20document.pdf  

Sunday 16 May 2021

Press Release: Post-Covid Strategy: Malta Sociological Association presents proposals

The Malta Sociological Association (MSA, registered Voluntary Organisation) has submitted its feedback to the  Ministry for Research, Innovation and the Co-ordination of Post Covid-19 Strategy about the Public Consultation on Thematic Areas underpinning Malta’s National Post Pandemic Strategy

MSA welcomed the drift of the public consultation, adding that this should be an ongoing process and not just a one off exercise.

Whilst we fully understand the government’s need to plan a timeline to return to a post-covid situation, we recommend that this should be interpreted as a social process with various opportunities, risks, changes and impacts which take place across time and space. It is also important to take heed of lessons learned during the process and to value the intersection of medical, economic, social, political, cultural, and other factors at individual, community, local, societal, national, and transnational levels.

In this regard, MSA proposes that  the consultation exercise employs an ongoing social impact assessment process for all areas, to ensure greater outreach and deliberation with stakeholders.  An SIA could produce valuable evidence for policy formation and implementation.

We emphasize that this should not be one-off exercise: To the contrary, assessments should be ongoing processes which engage with various stakeholders and which report back so as to ensure effective policy processes. They should also use complementary research methods so as to ensure reliable and valid data.

 Various methods, both quantitative and qualitative could be used within social impact assessments. The former refers to generalisable data especially through numbers, while the latter produce in-depth data on matters. Research methods in SIAs may therefore include, for example, quantitative perception surveys and qualitative methods  which involve a deeper look into social realities.

Besides, expert interviews may verify the advice, concerns and interpretations of persons who are experts or who have experience in the respective field under analysis. 
 
SIAs should involve the participation of different stakeholders, ideally through mixed research methods. Analytic indicators should be provided and the entire process should be subject to peer review by independent experts in the field.  This means that if a study is being carried out by a team of scientists (social, natural etc.), this should be scrutinised by other independent scientists. This could help identify shortcomings and possible improvements to the same SIA.

In its feedback, the MSA referred to international SIA standards, for example those set by the International Association for Impact Assessment, which is accessible from this link: