Item

Is small really beautiful? The impact of scale on political institutional capacity for integrated environmental management in Malta

Buhagiar, George
Date
2003
Type
Thesis
Fields of Research
Abstract
Malta is a small self-governing parliamentary democracy, with contiguous biophysical and political boundaries fitting into the description of a bioregion, where the small-is-beautiful claim is expected to hold true. However, the country's development of integrated environmental management (IEM) capacity has encountered major challenges. Specific environmental problems have remained unchecked for decades, with the island remaining a late-comer in the implementation of environmental policy, when compared to other large countries. The literature offers tenable arguments about the potential advantages of small scale to IEM, and warns of the impediments to it in large, centrally co-ordinated political systems. But it does not explain the contradiction about these challenges to IEM in the context of small-scale contemporary democratic political structures. To strengthen our understanding of IEM capacity and the impact of scale on it, this thesis investigates the question 'what is the impact of small scale on the political-institutional capacity for IEM?' The research was conducted by identifying conceptual shortcomings in the literature; developing the concept of political institutional capacity for IEM, and, also a framework for assessing its level. The thesis focuses on the role of 'agency', rather than on impediments to IEM - a focus commonly found in the literature. This study investigated, in particular, how small scale affects the relative importance of different actors, domestic or international, in changing the IEM capacity levels of political institutional structures. The argument of the thesis is tested in the Maltese context. Here, the empirical analysis used three case studies - land-use, waste management and bird protection - to focus on policy responses that typify three important dimensions to environmental concerns - resource-use, social (quality of life) and ecological. On the basis of Malta's assessment, this study demonstrates that small scale does not necessarily lead to higher levels of IEM capacity, at least certainly not for environmental reasons. Small scale makes environmental problems more salient, but the political-economic impact of Malta's small scale on IEM capacity building is greater. This was experienced in Malta as a result of EU accession requirements. The thesis reveals that small scale creates greater susceptibility to non-environmental international influences, making decision-makers responsive to international versus domestic forces. In today's global milieu, the small-scale advantages for IEM depend more on the national policy makers' ability, and opportunity, to link higher levels of IEM and political economic development together; than on the enhanced responsiveness of decision makers to environmental threats in a small confined ecological-political domain.
Source DOI
Rights
Creative Commons Rights
Access Rights
Digital thesis can be viewed by current staff and students of Lincoln University only. If you are the author of this item, please contact us if you wish to discuss making the full text publicly available.