SLSNet- Newsletter

  [ * ] Vision of Indira Samarasekera

SLSNET Newsletter in its April 2005 Issue, recognized the achievements of Dr. Indira Samarasekera, a Sri Lankan born women scientist. Samarasekera’s five year term as the President of the University of Alberta began in July. Read more about her career at retrospective and the vision for the new venture.  

Website: http://www.president.ualberta.ca/

[ * ]   Impacts of Trade Liberalization and Market Reforms on the Paddy/Rice Sector in Sri Lanka

Jeevika Weerahewa:  University of Peradeniya

Sri Lanka has rich experience in pursuing a variety of strategies to achieve food security. They range from the projectionist policies implemented mainly during 1948 to 1977, to open economic policies implemented since 1977. For the paddy/rice sector, the government continues to restrict rice imports due to fears that rice trade liberalization would have adverse impacts on poverty. On the domestic front, however, paddy procurement, milling and distribution are mainly done by the private sector. The production of paddy is mainly carried out by small farmers and, on an average, resource-use is found to be inefficient. While some researchers believe that the paddy-rice marketing system is competitive, many consider that it is characterized by a group of oligopolistic buyers. Finally, on the consumption side, the demand for rice, the staple food, is found to be price and income inelastic.

International food Policy Research institute
Discussion Paper No. 70 
May 2004

Executive summary: http://www.ifpri.org/divs/mtid/dp/mtidp70.htm

Full Paper (PDF format) : http://www.ifpri.org/divs/mtid/dp/papers/mtidp70.pdf


[ * ]   Complementarity of Trade and FDI Liberalization in Industrial Growth: Lessons from Sri Lanka

Prema-Chandra Athukorala: Australian National University  and
Sisira Jayasuriya : La Trobe University

This paper examines industrialisation experience in Sri Lanka following the market-oriented policy reforms initiated in 1977, with emphasis on the complementarity of trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) policies in shaping the reform outcome. It is found that the reforms helped to transform a primary product exporting economy into one in which manufactures dominate exports. Improved performance of domestic manufacturing through greater export orientation saw improvement in output and total factor  Productivity growth, and employment generation. The Sri Lankan experience highlights the complementary role of investment liberalisation for exploiting the potential gains from trade liberalisation. This industrialisation outcome is particularly impressive given that it occurred during a period of persistent civil strife and macroeconomic instability.

Australia South Asia Research Centre: Australian National University Working Paper 2004-10
2004

Full Paper (PDF format) : http://rspas.anu.edu.au/papers/asarc/2004_10.pdf

[ * ]   Economic Roots of Political Conflict: The Case of Sri Lanka

Sirimal Abeyratne: University of Colombo

Escalation of political conflict in many developing countries and their impact on economic development has been a topical issue in recent development literature. The overwhelming emphasis on ‘ethnic conflicts’ in this literature has, however, precluded looking at political conflict in the wider context of the development process, going beyond the ethnic dimension. In particular, because of the preoccupation with the ethnic roots as the prime source of these conflicts, reverse causation running from economic policy to political conflict has been virtually ignored in the debate. The purpose of this paper is to redress this gap through an in-depth case study of the ‘twin political conflict’ in Sri Lanka¾the Tamil separatist war in the North and the Sinhala youth uprising in the South¾with emphasis on its economic roots. The findings suggest that fundamental contradictions in the national development policy throughout the post independence era were in the heart of the country’s twin political conflict.

Australia South Asia Research Centre: Australian National University Working Paper
2002
Full Paper (PDF format) :  http://rspas.anu.edu.au/papers/asarc/sirimal.pdf


[ * ]   Sri Lanka Society in an Era of Globalization: Struggling to Create a New Social Order


S.H Hasbullah:  University of Peradeniya
Barrie M Morrison : University of British Columbia  (Editors)

The book recognizes causes for existing failure of governing arrangements, skewed distribution of economic benefits, and an exploitation of cultural traditions to divide people and argue that the time is now ripe for the people of Sri Lanka to consciously take up the task of building a new society.  It further identifies non-availability of a readymade model to solve the problem. The volume explores three elements which are crucial to the process of social reconstruction: a realistic analysis of novel problems, a search for guiding principles and a testing of procedures. The book has chapter organized into four sections as, the challenges of societal reorganization; tensions of class, caste; group rights and individual freedoms; a struggle to build a better life, a better society; and building a better society problems with weakened capacity.

Contributors: KARUNATISSA ATUKORALA, PAUL CASPERSZ, DAGMAR HELLMANN-RAJANAYAGAM, S H HASBULLAH, BRUCE MATTHEWS, BARRIE M MORRISON, SISIRA PINNAWALA, PITMAN B POTTER, SRI RANJITH, M SINNATHAMBY, SIVAMOHAN SUMATHY,  and NANCY WAXLER-MORRISON

July 2004
Sage India (Imprint)
ISBN: 0761932216

Publisher's Website: http://www.indiasage.com/browse/book.asp?bookid=817&Subject_Name=&mode=1

[ * ]   Blowback: Linguistic Nationalism, Institutional Decay, and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka

Neil DeVotta, Hartwick College

The book argues that the Sinhalese linguistic nationalism led to the Tamils’ mobilizing, first politically then militarily, and by the mid-1970s demanded for creating a separate state.

Author Neil Devotta is assistant professor of political science, Hartwick College, New York, USA.

2004
Stanford University Press
ISBN 080474923X cloth
ISBN 0804749248 paper

Publishers website: http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?book_id=4923%204924%20


[ * ]   Economic Policy in Sri Lanka

Saman Kelegama: Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (Editor)

This comprehensive volume discusses the evolution of Sri Lanka’s economic policies from 1977 onwards, the ideology governing this evolution, the debates on policy, and the key economic issues confronting contemporary Sri Lanka. The book covers all segments of Sri Lanka’s economy. This edited volume is a felicitation Gamini Corea, leading Sri Lankan economist.

The book begins with an introduction on issues and the debates on economic policy of Sri Lanka. It is followed by four sections devoted to, development strategy and ideology, macroeconomic policy, agriculture, industry and technology development and employment and labor. The last two sections deals with institutional and governance issues and social welfare.

Contributors: HARSHA ATURUPANE, PREMACHANDRA ATHUKORALA, SARATH DASANAYAKA, AMALA DE SILVA, DAVID DUNHAM, GODFREY GUNATILLEKE, BUDDHADASA HEWAVITHARANA, A D V DE S INDRARATNE, LAKSIRI JAYASURIYA, SISIRA JAYASURIYA, LAL JAYAWARDENA, NIHAL KAPPAGODA, H N S KARUNATILAKE, J B KELEGAMA, MALATHY KNIGHT-JOHN, RAJA B M KORALE, W D LAKSHMAN
CHANDANA PERERA, SARATH RAJAPATIRANA, NIMAL SANDERATNE, RAVI A YATAWARA, D D M WAIDYASEKERA, DUSHNI WEERAKOON

September 2004
New Delhi: Sage India
ISBN: 076193278X

Publisher's Website: http://www.indiasage.com/browse/book.asp?bookid=835&Subject_Name=&mode=1#abt

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