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Migration & remittances: impact on financial behavior of families left behind in Sri Lanka
(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2019-07) Weeraratne, Bilesha
The study investigates the impact of migration and remittances on the financial behaviour of left behind family members in Sri Lanka, using data from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2016. The analysis includes propensity score matching estimates and a three stage least squares estimates to examine the impact of having a migrant in the household or receiving remittances on the saving and borrowing behaviour of the left behind family members. A holistic view of the empirical findings of the study show that migration and remittances promote savings in left behind households, and the broader picture of debt repayment, indebtedness and loan income hints that migration and remittances make left behind family less likely to borrow, less likely to be indebted, and the more likely to be repaying debt. Such ongoing debt repayment is more likely to be associated with debt that was taken before migration (either to cover cost of migration or for some other reason unrelated to migration). This empirical evidence on capacity of migration and remittances to improve savings and reduce unproductive borrowing is found on the basis of the status quo in Sri Lanka - where minimal guidance is provided to left behind households on financial management. As such, exposure to appropriate interventions would enhance the capacity of migration and remittances to uplift the financial behaviour and related outcomes for left behind households. Such positive effects would have multiplier effects on all migration and remittances related outcomes at the household level and beyond.
Intellectual property rights in protecting new plant varieties and farmers' traditional knowledge: the case of rice in Sri Lanka
(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2016-09) Hirimuthugodage, Dilani; Samarathunga, Parakrama A.
Why people choose to participate in the non-standard forms of employment in Sri Lanka
(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2017) Jayawardena, Priyanka
Re-defining urban areas in Sri Lanka
(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2016-06) Weeraratne, Bilesha
The existing urban population estimate in Sri Lanka fails to reflect the true level of urbanization due to the inappropriate definition adopted. This paper develops an alternative definition for urban areas in Sri Lanka to reconcile the mismatch between actual and existing estimates, by reviewing definitions adopted in other countries and analyzing perceptions of Key Informants. The author defines a Grama Sevaka division as urban if it has a minimum population of 750 persons, a population density greater than 500 persons per km2 , firewood dependence of less than 95 percent of households, and well water dependence of less than 95 percent of households. Using data from the Land Use Policy Planning Department and Department of Census and Statistics, the author estimates that 43.8 percent of Sri Lankan population live in urban areas The paper makes an important contribution to Sri Lanka's policy and legislative arena to revise the existing definition of urbanization.
Cost of low-skilled migration to Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Malaysia: value chain analysis-Sri Lanka
(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2018-02) Weeraratne, Bilesha; Wijayasiri, Janaka; Jayaratne, Suwendrani
Tobacco smoking in Sri Lanka: identifying and understanding the last mile smokers
(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2020) Madurawala, Sunimalee; Karunanayake, Chathurga; Thilanka, Chamini
Tax policy in Sri Lanka : economic perspective
(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2017-06) Kelegama, Saman
Analysis of the Fisheries Sector in Sri Lanka: Guided Case Studies in Value Chain Development for Conflict-Affected Environments
(United States Agency for International Development, 2008-03) Arunatilake, Nisha; Gunawardena, Asha; Marawila, Dilhani; Samaratunga, Parakrama; Senaratne, Athula; Thibbotuwawa, Manoj
Sri Lanka has been affected by prolonged armed conflict, and attendant chronic governance failures, for the past three decades. Evaluating its impact on the performance of specific productive sectors, such as ocean fisheries, remains a timely and important exercise. The value chain analysis methodology offers an insightful way to approach this critical topic due to its focus on identifying the actual and potential competitiveness of particular products and the areas of possible economic development and growth. The USAID AMAP program commissioned this study to ascertain the ability of a value chain analysis to determine the impact these two types of conflict have had on the fisheries industry in southern Sri Lanka—both the direct and indirect physical and other effects the armed conflict has inflicted and the structural consequences of institutional and governance failures. The study used the analysis to compose recommendations for effectively developing the capacity of the fisheries sector to contribute to equitable economic opportunities in Sri Lanka. The research team based their analysis on data from primary and secondary sources at both the national and regional levels. Team members obtained secondary data from fishery-related institutes—community-level organizations, the Ministry of Fisheries and others—and used a participatory appraisal approach to collect primary data from stakeholders involved directly and indirectly in the fisheries value chain—fishermen, traders, processors, government officials and other informed groups. The team selected three study sites—Negombo, Chillaw and Hambanthota—and convened focus groups representing the ethnic and religious heterogeneity of the country’s fishing communities and the range of impacts the conflict was having on different regions of the country. The study addresses the research question, ‘How can value chain analysis and the value chain framework help to identify and understand both the major opportunities for upgrading and the driving constraints to market growth of the fisheries sector given the context of conflict?’ To fully demonstrate the opportunities and constraints associated with the direct and indirect impacts of the conflict, the team developed a value chain/conflict dynamics matrix that identifies both the different chain segments affected directly and indirectly by conflict and the ways in which they are affected. Further analysis of the opportunities and constraints posed by the various dimensions of the conflict yields case-specific examples of the ways the conflict interacts with and affects a given value chain. Opportunities generated by the continuing violent conflicts and related institutional failures in Sri Lanka are negligible compared to the large number of constraints they present to the entire chain, including lack of access to and competitiveness in end markets; sluggish or dormant firms and supporting markets; the need for firm-level upgrading, and a poor business enabling environment. The limited supply of fish to end markets, both domestic and export, and the increased cost of inputs are the most visible impact of conflict on the fisheries industry at the present time. Further, increased security measures and related expenditures have increased the transaction costs for the industry. Such conditions have made ocean fishery a high-cost industry in Sri Lanka, thus reducing not only its competitiveness but also its ultimate potential for growth and ability to act as a driver of poverty reduction. Many entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka’s fisheries industry have identified the constraints to and potential of the sector, but they are unable to bring about substantial change in the conflict-affected environment. The research concludes that the current situation is one of impact-mitigation and maximization of gains because of constraints imposed by the conflicts. Issues related to the generation of a favorable enabling environment through the improvement of public infrastructure (harbor facilities and roads) and services (research, extension and institutional support such as policy reform, quality assurance, input delivery, etc.) depend primarily on the capacity and commitment of relevant state agencies. Although private-sector actors may be able to play a role in advocating for needed reforms the weak governance environment poses obstacles to targeting such efforts and driving meaningful change. To improve competitiveness of the industry, the state should focus on identifying niche markets and product categories, introducing technology, facilitating support services, revising existing trade and export policies and developing needed infrastructure. The private sector can improve the functioning of the value chain through wider access to credit, infrastructure enhancement and increased inter-firm cooperation. These changes are not easily implemented by individual actors, but are possible through collective action with existing fisheries cooperative societies playing a role. In addition, the development of micro-credit facilities is a promising way to circumvent the problems fishers experience with formal financial institutions and could provide them with an alternative to the private moneylenders who are part of an often highly exploitative industry. Cooperative societies can increase fishers’ bargaining power with large organizations higher up the chain and conduct lobbying efforts with state authorities for better operating conditions. Successful cooperative organizations have the potential to enter into public-private partnerships to facilitate the provision of much-needed infrastructure, such as harbors, anchorages and related facilities and to participate in broader development of the sector. To further an understanding of how the conflict affects Sri Lanka’s fisheries industry and how the chain might realize its competitive potential, this study analyzes the value chain as well as the way it interacts with direct and indirect conflict dynamics. Section 1 provides an overview of the conflict context and the fisheries sector and identifies the key development and relief initiatives currently being implemented. Section 2 presents the methodology employed in conducting this study, and Section 3 gives a detailed analysis of the conflict environment in Sri Lanka.1 In Section 4, a detailed analysis of the fisheries industry leads to a discussion of the links between value chain and conflict dynamics. The concluding section highlights insights from applying the value chain analysis in a conflict-affected context, as well as possible ways forward identified by the integrated conflict/value chain analysis.
Sri Lankan female domestic workers in the middle East
(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2014-09) Weeraratne, Bilesha
Capital account liberalization and financial crises in East Asia: lessons for Sri Lanka
(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 1998-07) Weerakoon, Dushni; Salih, Rozana

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