75 Years of the International Social Science Journal

The International Social Science Journal, of which I am Associate Editor, is celebrating its 75th year. 

Thus, a anniversary Special Issue has been published, demonstrating the journal's long-standing commitment to interdisciplinary inquiry and public-facing scholarship. The Special Issue brings together economic, psychological, sociological, environmental and practice-based perspectives to understand how individuals and communities navigate new pressures and reimagine collectivity and future.

The special issue includes an editorial of which I am co-author in my capacity as guest editor:

Messina, B.C., Briguglio, M., Freire, D., Gard, R., Ocakli, B.O., Schermer, J.A. and Qiu, S. (2025), Social Well-Being in an Unsettled World: 75 Years of the International Social Science Journal. Int Soc Sci.. https://doi-org.ejournals.um.edu.mt/10.1111/issj.70031

For a peopled Blue Economy in Malta's Vision 2050

 

Read my opinion in the Malta Independent here. I also submitted this feedback to Malta's Vision 2050 Public Consultation.

One To One - Season 6 - Updated Weekly

 

One To One covers social, political, environmental, and cultural topics, and guests are experts in their respective fields. 

One to One is hosted by Prof Michael Briguglio and is broadcast on Campus 103.7.  The programmes are also available in on-demand format and are uploaded on the Open Access Repository, University of Malta .

Topics and guests for Season 6 (October - December 2025)

1. L-Immaġinazjoni Soċjoloġika fir-Retro - Noel Agius

2. Tista' tkun Konservattiv Soċjali? Jake Muscat

3. X'qed tipproponi l-Kamra tal-Kummerċ għall-Budget? William Spiteri Bailey

4. Jista' jkollna akkomodazzjoni affordabbli? Jake Azzopardi

5. Il-Ħsejjes u s-Soċjeta' - Daniel Gafa'

6. X'jagħmlu l-għaqdiet komunitarji? Sara Mari Cardona

7. X'inhi l-ekwita' soċjali? Nadia Abdilla

8. Il-liġi tista' tipproteġi l-ambjent? Claire Bonello

9. X'inhi l-politika soċjali? Andrea Dibben

10. Id-dieta Mediterranja u l-obeżità f'Malta: Kontradizzjoni? Suzanne Piscopo

11. X'inhu r-rambling? Romano Cassar

12. L-MCESD: X'impatt għandu? Brendan Zerafa

(This list is updated every week)

Topics and guests for Season 1 (July-September 2024) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 2 (October - December 2024) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 3 (January - March 2025) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 4 (April - June 2025) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 5 (July - September 2025) - Click here

The Real Estateisation of Marsascala?

 Tourism, Real Estate, and Urban Pressures: The case of Marsascala, Malta -  

Paper by Agius Karl, Briguglio Michael and Bermúdez Pérez Jorge Luis -  published in Open Research Europe -  an open access publishing venue for European Commission-funded researchers.

This paper examines the urban transformation of Marsascala, a coastal town in Malta, through the lens of tourism development and its social repercussions. Engaging with Young’s (1983) model of touristization and landscape change, and drawing from qualitative interviews, field observations, orthophoto analysis, and secondary data, the study traces the town’s evolution from a fishing village to a site of intensive tourism consolidation. Findings reveal how population growth—driven by tourism and foreign labour—has led to overdevelopment, infrastructural strain, and a declining quality of life. Building on empirical insights, the authors propose a novel seventh stage in Young’s model: real estateisation, wherein real estate speculation and short-term rentals reconfigure coastal localities beyond tourism. Marsascala thus becomes a case study in understanding the entanglements between tourism, migration, housing, and urban change. The paper contributes to debates on sustainable tourism, the Blue Economy, and the need for integrated social impact assessments in coastal governance.This paper is linked to the EU Cost Action CA221222 Rethinking the Blue Economy: Socio-Ecological Impacts and Opportunities (RethinkBlue), in relation to the themes covered by Working Group 3 - Port cities & coastal communities.

Link to paper: https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/articles/4-183/v2

Map prepared for the authors by Andrea Pace

#Ħsibijiet 121: Malta, Environmental democracy, Aarhus Convention

Next November, the Eighth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention, fifth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on PRTRs, their joint High-level Segment and associated meetings will be held in Geneva. 

Key themes of this meeting include environmental democracy and public participation in decision-making. It will be interesting to see the Government of Malta's stance and action in this regard, particularly in  relation to its proposed changes in Malta's planning policy and legislation. 

In the meantime, and in preparation for this meeting, the twenty-ninth meeting of the Working Group of the Parties to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters was recently held in Geneva.

Summer heatwaves: A wake-up call for sustainability and justice

In yesterday's Malta Independent I give a sociological perspective about the summer heatwaves being experienced in the Malta, the Mediterranean, and beyond. 

You can read the article here. 

New Publication: Rethinking the Blue Economy: Integrating social science for sustainability and justice

The following open access article has just been published in Nature journal NPJ Ocean Sustainability:

Penca, J., Ertör, I., Ballesteros, M., Briguglio, M., Kowalewski, M., Pauksztat, B.,Cepić, D., Piñeiro-Corbeira, C., Vaidianu, N.,  Villasante,S. & Pascual-Fernández, JJ. (2025) Rethinking the Blue Economy: Integrating social science for sustainability and justice. npj Ocean Sustain 4, 40. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-025-00138-1

The article argues that to fulfill the Blue Economy’s promise of sustainable and just ocean use, its scientific foundation must more fully integrate the social sciences. Drawing on insights from real-world scientific networking initiatives, we identify three key contributions of the social sciences and propose a strategy to redefine the Blue Economy. This strategy anchors knowledge in societal challenges and emphasizes co-creation, the science-policy interface, knowledge integration, and the values of accountability and care.

This article is based upon work from COST Action CA22122 “Rethinking the Blue Economy: Socio-Ecological Impacts and Opportunities” (RethinkBlue), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).

Michael Briguglio Appointed Lead Author for Key Mediterranean Climate Report

Prof. Michael Briguglio has been officially appointed as Lead Author of Chapter 2 – “Drivers of Change: Climate, Environment, and Socio-Economics” for the upcoming Second Mediterranean Assessment Report (MAR2) by the Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC).

The Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC) is an open and independent network of scientists dedicated to climate and environmental change in the Mediterranean Basin. Established in 2015, MedECC brings together experts across various disciplines to provide decision-makers, stakeholders, and the public with the most reliable scientific knowledge on climate and environmental changes including associated risks and social aspects. Its assessments aim to contribute to shape evidence-based policies and support informed mitigation and adaptation actions. Its functioning is inspired by the principles and process of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

MedECC scientists contribute to MedECC reports, all in an individual capacity and without financial compensation. They are located in 35 countries, including 19 registered as Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) and 23 members of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).

The First Mediterranean Assessment Report (MAR1), received the prestigious 2020 North-South Prize of the Council of Europe.

Michael Briguglio, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Malta, also coordinates the Master of Arts in Social Impact Assessment at the University of Malta, and occupies the roles of Associate Editor with the International Social Science Journal (Wiley); Core Group member and Science Communication Coordinator - RethinkBlue EU Cost Action, and committee member - Malta Sociological Association.

For further information, visit: www.medecc.org

Dripht live at the Farsons Beer Festival

After a lengthy hibernation period, Dripht will be playing at the Farsons Beer Festival this Sunday 6 July, on the Rockstage at 11pm!

See you there! 

Nick Morales (Vocals, Guitar)

Michael Briguglio (Drums)

Daniel Cassar (Guitar)

Kriz Zahra (Bass)

One To One - Season 5 - Updated Weekly

One To One covers social, political, environmental, and cultural topics, and guests are experts in their respective fields. 

One to One is hosted by Prof Michael Briguglio and is broadcast on Campus 103.7.  The programmes are also available in on-demand format and are uploaded on the Open Access Repository, University of Malta .

Topics and guests for Season 5 (July - September 2025)

1. Il-Filosofija Utli? Claude Mangion

2. Kif nistgħu nifmhu l-Finanzi tal-Gvern? Silvan Mifsud

3. L-Arkivji x'jgħidulna dwarna? Joan Abela

4. L-Ambjentalisti, il-Kosta, u l-Baħar - Annalise Falzon

5. Biobanking - X'inhu? Nikolai Paul Pace

6. Il-Ġeografija x'użu għandha? Ritienne Gauci

7. Jista' jkollok ambjentaliżmu soċjali? Anna Zammit

8. Kemm hi prattika l-enerġija nadifa? Luciano Mule' Stagno

9. Il-Kitba qed tispiċċa? Mario Aquilina

10. X'inhu l-Malta Health Network? Gertrude Buttigieg

11. Malta fl-isfond ta' kulturi Mediterranji u Ewropej - Karsten Xuereb

12. It-tagħlim tal-Etika: X'impatt qed ikollu? Lucianne Zammit

13. L-attiviżmu tal-istudenti għandu impatt? Kris Bajada

(This list is updated every week)

Topics and guests for Season 1 (July-September 2024) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 2 (October - December 2024) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 3 (January - March 2025) - Click here

Topics and guests for Season 4 (April - June 2025) - Click here