Joseph Falzon
Ph.D., Prof., Head of Department of Banking & Finance, Faculty of Economics, Management & Accountancy, University of Malta, Malta
Professor Joseph Falzon is currently the Head of the Department of Banking and Finance, at the University of Malta. He received a B.A. degree from the University of Malta in June 1979 (first class), a M.A. degree in economics from Memphis State Univerisity, Memphis, Tennessee in December 1980 (4.0 GPA), and a Ph.D. degree in economics from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A. in August 1984. His doctoral areas of specialization were in international finance, monetary economics and macroeconomics.
He was appointed a graduate assistantship, in the Economics Department, at Memphis State University, from January to December 1980; a Rotary Fellow of Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, at Northwestern University, from October 1981 to June 1982; a teaching assistantship, in the Economics Department, Northwestern University, during academic years 1982-1983 and 1983-1984; and a Salzburg Fellow, at a Salzburg Seminar, in March 1991.
He served as a visiting assistant professor and taught at several American Universities including Roosevelt University in Chicago, from 1982 to 1984; Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, from 1985 to 1986; University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1986 to 1987; and Howard University, Washington, D.C., form 1987 to 1988.
He returned to Malta in 1988 to teach at the University of Malta and to serve as an economic consultant to the Government of Malta. He was appointed as the first Head of the new Department of Banking and Finance, set up in 1994 at the University of Malta. This Department now offers undergraduate degrees in Banking and Finance and in Insurance.
He is the author of several local and foreign publications and of numerous papers on the Maltese economy. He is the co-editor with Professor Edward P.M. Gardener of “Strategic Challenges in European Banking” published by Macmillan in 1999.
He has served as a consultant to the Government of Malta and several private organizations including the Office of Prime Minister (1988 to 1992); the Ministry of Finance (1992 to 1995); the Office of Fair Competition (1995 to 1996); the Ministry of Economic Services (1999 to 2003); the Bank of Valletta (1993 to 1998); the National Tourist Organization (1997 to 2001); the Malta Tourism Authority (2002 to 2006); the Central Bank of Malta (2004 to 2008); the Chamber of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, GRTU (2006 to 2008); and the Malta Housing Authority (since 2008).
He has also been appointed as a director and board member on the executive board of the National Tourist Organization, Malta (1996); the Enemalta Corporation (1999 to 2003); the Malta Statistics Authority (since 2001); and on the Investment Committee of Integradvisory, Financial and Investment Advisors (since 2009).
His current research interests include portfolio management, hedge fund strategies, micro finance, economic development, demography and insurance markets.
Professor Falzon has also served as Member of the Organizing Committee of the European Association of University Teachers of Banking and Finance, since September 1995. He organized the 1996 annual conference of this association in Malta.
