Browsing by Author "Wijesinghe, Asanka"

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    Chemical fertillizer imports and the environment: evidence-based approach for a green economy accounting for the trade off
    (2021-12) Wijesinghe, Asanka
    The direct and indirect impact of high-input use agriculture- popularised by the Green Revolution- on the environment is the major thrust of this perspective. The paper discusses an integrated approach to minimise the negative impacts, accounting for the proposed ban of synthetic fertilizers and the tradeoff between the environment and productivity resulting from such a ban. Noteworthy stylised facts of the discussion are threefold. First, the Green Revolution reduced the growth of extensive expansion of agricultural lands via intensification, which subdued the pressure on forest cover. Additionally, productivity increase releases marginal lands for vital ecological services such as pollinator habitats. Second, synthetic fertilizer resulted in higher productivity in the agriculture sector, increasing the GDP and facilitating structural transformation. Given that a quarter of the workforce is in the agriculture sector, gradual movement of the labor force to the industrial sector is vital, while the agriculture sector workforce become self-reliant in facing environmental and climatic events. Thus, continuous investment in agricultural productivity growth should be a priority to create fiscal space for the investments in meaningful green initiatives and reduce the vulnerability of the rural poor. Third, evidence-based solutions such as site-specific fertilizer recommendations, soil testing, and discouraging overuse of nitrogenous fertilizer through tariffs should be practiced to mitigate the adverse environmental impact of synthetic fertilizer, especially nitrogen fertilizer. Complete removal of the subsidy may generate overreaching welfare and environmental ramifications, although it is widely suggested.
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    The effect of Chin's soybean tariff on the republican party's vote share in the 2018 congressional election
    (Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2018) Wijesinghe, Asanka
    I investigate the association of China’s retaliatory soybean tariff on the Republican vote share change between the 2016 and 2018 mid-term elections. Using county-level election data, I find a significantly negative and spatially heterogeneous association between soybean tariff and Republican vote share change. Mainly, I find that the tariff effect is more prominent in counties where Donald Trump’s vote share was between 40%-50% in 2016. In addition, the association is larger and significant in counties that ship soybean through Pacific Northwest ports implying the effect of the tariff was heterogeneous spatially.
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    Retaliatory tariff and 2018 mid term election: was there an effect of Chinese soybeans tariff?
    (2020-07) Wijesinghe, Asanka
    The 2018 Congressional election was held when U.S. and China involved in a trade war. The U.S. protectionist tariff s were retaliated by China with tariff on U.S. agricultural exports in which share of soybeans was substantial. I investigate the effect of Chinese soybeans tariff on the Republican vote share change between 2016 and 2018. Using county level election data and per worker tariff exposure variable Ind signi cantly negative and spatially heterogeneous association between soybeans tariff and Republican vote share change. Specially I nd that tari e ect is more prominent in counties where Donald Trump's vote share was between 40%-50% in 2016. Further, I nd a signi cant and relatively large negative association between Chinese soybean tariff and Republican vote share change in counties which ship soybeans through Pacific Northwest ports. The estimates are stable across models which are controlled for per worker U.S. trade protection and overall real wage effect of 2018 trade war.
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    Russia-Ukraine conflict: economic implications for Sri Lanka
    (Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, 2022-03-01) Wijesinghe, Asanka
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    Structure conduct and performance of the rice milling industry of Sri Lanka: evidence from selected cases
    (2017-06) Wijesinghe, Asanka; Weerahewa, Jeevika
    The rice milling industry in Sri Lanka is alleged to be characterised by imperfect competition and excessive profits. The purpose of this study was to examine the structure, conduct and performance of the rice milling industry of Sri Lanka. The structure of the industry was examined using concentration ratio and Hirschman- Herfindahl Index (H index). The conduct of the industry was examined using a Hedonic price analysis. In order to evaluate the performance of the industry, the technical efficiency of the rice millers was estimated. Marketing margins over time and across different groups of millers were also examined to test whether there was an increase in the margins between retail prices of rice and farm-gate prices of paddy as an alternative indicator to ascertain industry performance. The results of the analysis indicated that the top four firms in the sample occupied 6.30% of the market share, implying that the rice milling industry of Sri Lanka was atomistically competitive. The calculated H index of 30 also suggests that the market was competitive. Contrary to popular belief, the results of the Hedonic price analysis indicated that consumers were indifferent among brands and that none of the established brands had a significant effect on rice prices. The results of the input orientated Data Envelope Approach indicated that the mean technical efficiency of the millers in the sample was over 90% and there is no statistically significant difference in the technical efficiencies of large scale millers who possess modern machineries and that of the rest. Furthermore, there is no evidence to conclude that millers with superior milling equipment have excessive margins.
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    Unlocking trade potential
    (Industrial Development Board, 2024) Wijesinghe, Asanka