Bank of Valletta have announced that it has just published the thirty-ninth edition of the Bank of Valletta Review. The BOV Review is an annual publication published by the Bank, featuring numerous informative papers.

The first paper, titled ‘The Dual-Worker Family: Combining Working Life with Social Life,’ is written by Saviour Rizzo. This paper delves into the lifestyle of the dual-worker family to expose a complex system of work, family and personal roles. Research indicates that the females are making more sacrifices than their male counterparts in order to cope with the seemingly contradictory requirements of the economic demands of the family, whilst living up to the social requirements of a mother or a wife.

The second paper is titled ‘Measuring Market Competition in the EU: The Mark-up Approach,’ and was written by Mario Borg. This paper suggests that a competitive and well-functioning market is imperative for the efficiency of the economy. The reasons are various; however, they can be grouped into two categories. Firstly, competitive markets help to correct distortions in the structure of production and raise productivity. Secondly, stronger competition provides an increased incentive for producers in the form of lower prices, higher quality and increased variety.

Bernadette Muscat compiled the third paper titled ‘OTC Derivatives: Salient Practices and Developments Relating to Standard Market Documentation’, which illustrates how the market for over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives markets has developed at a fast pace since its inception in the 1970’s, albeit still largely unregulated. Through the efforts of private international associations such as ISDA, however, an element of standardisation has been achieved via the proliferation and global use of standard contractual documentation.

The fourth paper, titled ‘The Right to Compensation in the Maltese Economy: Reference to Maltese Case Law,’ is written by Mandy Schembri. The paper affirms that the principle of redress and compensation in the case of justified complaints is not commonly accepted in Maltese culture. The attitude of Maltese people and public bodies in respect of the award of redress is still marked by an explicit reluctance to accept recommendations, particularly for ex-gratia payments.

The BOV Review also provides a useful index of all the articles featured in past issues. Articles from Issue 23 onwards are available online via the BOV website: www.bov.com.

To obtain a hard copy of the BOV Review, customers can contact Mary Rose Vella on telephone number 21223525, or by e-mail to maryrose.vella@ssned.org.

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