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PH.D.HISTORY OF ART ; This research discusses the fresco cycle at the Grand Master's Palace painted by the Bolognese artist Leonello Spada (1576-1622) in 1610. The cycle depicts twenty-four scenes from the early history of the Order of the Knights of St John and was commissioned by Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt (1547-1622). The research assesses the extent through which these frescoes follow the international trends of palatial decoration in the early Baroque era. The frescoes will be analysed and the capability of the artist to project the narrative through the style of Bolognese classicism will be assessed. The manner in which the artist incorporates the visual and literary sources into the narrative programme is explored in detail. The main literary source, Dell'Istoria Della Sacra Religione et Ill.ma Militia di San Giovanni by Jacomo Bosio has been identified and the illustrations of Antonio Tempesta were utilised as the inspiration for the composition of the scenes. Cesare Ripa's Iconologia was used both as a literary and visual source. This research contributes to scholarship in Early Baroque art as well as studies on Leonello Spada and the larger context of the spread of the Accademia degli Incamminati outside Bologna. The fresco cycle provides an excellent case study for the facilitation of iconographers and historians in pictorial narratives. The commission is laden with political and propagandist motives, which promote the Order's somewhat tragic history, it is one of the only depictions of the subject and one of the most important fresco cycles in Malta. ; N/A

M.A.EUR.LEGAL STUDIES ; The reconciliation of economic, social and environmental goals has been regarded as top priority on the European Union's agenda and this was possible through Sustainability. The concepts of Green Economy and Circular Economy are currently regarded as buzz phrases both by academics and policy-makers. Generally the Green Economy is regarded as an 'umbrella' concept including renewables, recycling, ecoefficiency, and the Circular Economy itself. The ultimate target is to set a sustainable economy with the adaptation and/or transformation of the current economy system. The concept of Circular Economy is not new; it goes back to the late 1970's and early 1980's when the world, especially Europe started rethinking of its industrial process, aiming to transform the once linear economy into something more reliable and sustainable. Through this new idea the production of waste is minimised as a result of minimal input, leading to redesigning the products' life cycle. In a recent European Commission press release, the Commission stated that the new rules on the Circular Economy Package are going to help in the prevention of waste. Where this is not viable, it will be pushing more on the recycling of both municipal and packaging waste. Landfills will be phased out while the use of economic instruments such as Extended Producer Responsibility schemes will be promoted. The aim of this dissertation is to provide an overview of the general system(s) adopted by the European Union and the transposition of laws by Member States to protect the environment while offering initiatives for a Circular Economy. In addition, it will analyse the underlying problems that the Union faces when coming to implementation and enforcement of environmental regulations, in order to create a Circular Economy that in practice works. ; N/A

M.A.EUR.LEGAL STUDIES ; The aim of this dissertation is to explore the continuum in the development of external competence in the EU vis-à-vis human rights obligations. The connection between the two is not altogether immediate but this work considers the conditions within which implied external competence were developed in light of the present legal and political frameworks. The work also observes, from a thorough examination of the case-law, the activist role played by the CJEU during and after AERT, and the emerging implications for the future of external relations in the EU. The three chapters of the dissertation represent a segment in the development of the EU legal order and explore the overarching question of how human rights and their protection has become an integral part of the European Union and how it can be reconciled with external relations law. This study reflects on the conditions that can enable an increased adherence to the inclusion of human rights in international agreements and considers the limits of those provisions that legitimise the protection of human rights in the EU. All the while, aware that the balance of power between the EU and the Members States must be maintained. In this sense, the examination of the development of implied external competence aligns itself with the reinforcement of a strong external relations law based on consistency and coherence in action and in law, one that is complementary with legal developments and respectful of national autonomy. ; N/A

M.L.I.S ; University institutional repositories around the world have increased the visibility of the intellectual property of academic institutions. Implementation of such repositories has given rise to discussions about the value of open science and open access to research. Such research includes peer-reviewed publications and the data collected for the purpose of these publications. Research data is an important component as it may be used to verify the results and to generate new insights. However, researchers may not always be willing to share this information for a number of reasons, including intellectual property rights, financial constraints and the time that needs to be invested to make sure that the data is re-usable and interoperable. Access to data may also allow other researchers and the general public to verify the results and challenge their interpretation. Data may also be used to produce different outputs. Those in support of the open data movement argue that transparency is fundamental to democracy and that people have the right to access data that has been gathered through public funding. On the contrary, data sharing raises a multitude of issues related to confidentiality, intellectual property rights, data protection and so forth. The aim of this dissertation is to explore the possibility of opening access to digital data for research funded by the University of Malta, which is a parastatal entity. This will essentially serve as a pre-implementation study for putting in place a policy that requires academic members of staff to share their data. Collaboration by academics is key to the success of such a venture, therefore their point of views and concerns will be explored. ; N/A

M.SC.PUBLIC POLICY&STRATEGIC MANGT. ; Although women have made significant advances in the economic sphere, the gender pay gap remains persistent. Building on Acker's Theory of Gendered Organisations, the purpose of this study was to explore from a holistic macro-level and micro-level approach focusing on the Financial and Insurance services sector, how family-friendly policies and work incentives for women accompanied by traditional gendered roles and gendered assumptions affect the Maltese gender pay gap. Through a qualitative approach, document analysis and structured interviews were carried out. Through a purposive sampling technique, legislation and official policy documents were chosen for document analysis. The interview sample consisted of twelve participants who held an HR managerial position within the Financial sector. The findings concluded that at a macro-level, underlying gendered assumptions feed into family-friendly policies and work incentives creating an imbalance which hinder women from career advancement or else limit them to low-paying jobs thereby contributing to the pay gap. From an HR perspective, the research identified how traditional gendered roles and biases affect mothers' career prospects, resulting in vertical segregation which affects the pay gap. The findings show that gender roles affect the uptake of family-friendly policies within this sector, with mostly women availing from such measures. The biases and misconceptions associated with the uptake of family-friendly measures together with the expectance of long working hours negatively affects mothers' progression to higher managerial roles, enhancing the glass ceiling effect within the Financial and Insurance industry. This study concluded that further policy action needs to be taken to ensure that current and future government policies ensure that national family-friendly policies and the Financial and Insurance sector become more gender inclusive. ; N/A

PH.D.HISTORY ; It was effectively a chain of events, one building on the other, that brought about the usurpation of all the Hospitaller assets in Sicily in 1801. The agonizing closure came when King Ferdinand I conferred the priory of Messina to his son Prince Leopold, done with the blessing of Paul I of Russia, de facto Grand Master of the Order at that point. This act ended what was almost seven hundred years of continuous Hospitaller presence in Sicily, a saga enriched by successive historical, social, and political events which the Order negotiated with equanimity and capability, maintaining its relevance throughout the centuries. The original goal of this dissertation was to focus on one of these, a century near the end of its lifetime, and one when the fabric of the Priory, including its immobile assets, social interactions, and political clout, was at its zenith. It is, however, the wider context which ultimately determines the nature, form, and character of any phenomenon in history. The Grand Priory of Messina is one such phenomenon which had reached the state it assumed in the seventeenth century through a slow, long-term process of development. In a parallel fashion, the city of Messina also evolved through the centuries, acquiring status and privileges which had also peaked in a similar fashion. The Hospitaller Sicilian province did not exist in isolation or sprout suddenly into existence in the seventeenth century. It is precisely the purpose of the present dissertation to try to reconstruct this gradual process of change in order to understand better this integral part of the Hospitaller institution. Like any other phenomenon, the state the Grand Priory of Messina had reached in the seventeenth century was the product of its past centuries. For this reason, it was felt indispensable to trace its gradual, at times tortuous, stages of the whole process of its evolution, to underpin the scope of this monograph. It is by knowing the past, that one can better understand the present. ; N/A

Dual Masters ; M.SC.CONFLICT ANALYSIS&RES. ; M.A.CONFLICT RES.&MED.STUD. ; Malta and China are characterized by significant differences, particularly in relation to their style of government, manpower, resources, their asymmetry in size and economic might, yet their bi-lateral and economic relations are often presented as mutually positive and beneficial. Whilst previous studies around foreign direct investment in Malta have been primarily carried out through a financial perspective, recent developments in the International political economy have raised the need to look at foreign direct investment from other points of view, which take into account security, within the broader International context, in which power, relations and interests are anarchically interwoven. As a result, this research is primarily concerned with addressing the question whether ''Are There Any Potential Security Challenges In Relation To Chinese Foreign Direct Investment In Malta? ''. In this study, the author utilized a number of theories, frameworks, and the European Union's foreign direct investment screening mechanism as tools to analyse the gathered data on Chinese foreign direct investment in Malta, in order to find out whether there are the conditions in place for a potential security challenge to be identified; and if so, what would it look like ? The data gathered was systematically processed and presented; Firstly, the researcher explored EU – Malta – China relations, presenting a well rounded picture of the diplomatic and economic activity occurring within this dynamic. The researcher utilized regulation 2019/452's criteria, as a tool to identify which Chinese investments in Malta would be flagged by the EU's FDI screening mechanism. The qualified investments were thoroughly analysed; the infrastructure involved, the sector, ownership structure, as well as other relevant data, were all included in the analysis, on an ad hoc basis. Finally, the research reveals a number of noteworthy observations, both on Chinese FDI in Malta, as well as other less discussed security concerns. ; N/A

PH.D.LAW ; This dissertation is about the development of new ideas and proposition of solutions in order to bridge the numerous legal lacunae encountered in the course of the decisionmaking process surrounding planning applications, whether such decisions are taken before the Planning Authority, the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal or the Court of Appeal. The author points out that the entire process, already complicated as is, is made even more so when there are problems with ambiguous drafting, badly interconnected definitions, incomplete provisions and inconsistent scope of application. Each time there is a legal quandary, the Maltese courts are the final arbiter who has the final word on what ought to have been done in the given circumstances. Even though the court contributed its fair share to solve many of the arising issues, several fundamental questions remain. This is because the court's reasoning is occasionally flawed or too broad in scope. Occasionally, the judgments are inconsistent with previous ones whereas the court's arguments, at times, simply do not hold water. This study aims to respond to what the court thus far has been unable to answer. To achieve this, the road that led to Section 72 of the current Development Planning Act, dealing with development permissions, will be discussed first. This will be complemented by an assessment of how the court went about determining whether planning applications should be decided in line with policies in force at the onset of the application process or those in vigore at the time of the decision, notwithstanding the applicant being put in a position he could not previously envisage. The extent to which a developer already in possession of a planning permission can claim to have a vested right should he decide to carry out a new development is also covered. Finally, it shall be seen whether the said Section 72 in view of which decision makers ought to no longer 'apply' plans and policies but simply 'have regard' of the same, had any bearing on the court's thinking. The role of the current EPRT and what led to its current status shall then be assessed with a view to understanding the context within which 'a point of law' could be reviewed by the Court of Appeal (Inferior Jurisdiction). This will be supplemented by an assessment of concrete situations wherein the Court held itself competent to hear an appeal from Tribunal decisions. Armed with this information, the study moves on to provide a meaningful definition of 'a point of law'.position he could not previously envisage. The extent to which a developer already in possession of a planning permission can claim to have a vested right should he decide to carry out a new development is also covered. Finally, it shall be seen whether the said Section 72 in view of which decision makers ought to no longer 'apply' plans and policies but simply 'have regard' of the same, had any bearing on the court's thinking. The role of the current EPRT and what led to its current status shall then be assessed with a view to understanding the context within which 'a point of law' could be reviewed by the Court of Appeal (Inferior Jurisdiction). This will be supplemented by an assessment of concrete situations wherein the Court held itself competent to hear an appeal from Tribunal decisions. Armed with this information, the study moves on to provide a meaningful definition of 'a point of law'. ; N/A

PH.D.EDUCATION ; This thesis consists of a philosophical inquiry into the morality of neoliberal education policies. The first section comprises a definition of neoliberalism, both as an instance of political rationality, and as a specific form of governance. This is followed by an identification of the core principles that underpin neoliberalism as a political rationality, in an effort to construct a deep understanding of the priorities it sets and the trade-offs it endorses. Subsequently, I outline the aims of a neoliberal agenda for compulsory education, while claiming that this entails three priorities that I categorise as efficiency, consumer sovereignty, and employability. Once the neoliberal priorities for compulsory education are identified, I move on to classify the array of policies that need to be institutionalised in order to achieve the set aims. I argue that these can be divided into three categories, namely, policies for educational accountability, policies to enable parental choice, and policies for human capital development. In light of this, I engage with the effects of the neoliberalisation of compulsory education on teachers and students, especially in relation to the issues of impoverished education, segregation, inequality of educational provision, and other repercussions. I conclude that, for those who adhere to a conception of justice where individual negative freedom is prioritised over social equality and manifest the readiness to pay the high moral cost of increased inequality, neoliberal policies are the preferable option, despite their disadvantages. At the same time, I sustain that compensatory measures would need to be implemented concurrently to counteract such policies' tendency to weaken social cohesion. Unless precautionary measures are put in place, neoliberal education policies may potentially become counterproductive and therefore, not only immoral from egalitarian perspectives, which would demand further distributional efforts, but also from a neoliberal standpoint, through their potential hindrance of economic growth. ; N/A