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Item Japan's role in Asian development: lessons for Sri Lanka(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 1996-03) Weerakoon, Dushni; Ratwatte, LekhaItem Capital account liberalization and financial crises in East Asia: lessons for Sri Lanka(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 1998-07) Weerakoon, Dushni; Salih, RozanaItem Microfinance in Sri Lanka: a household level analysis of outreach and impact on poverty(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2005) Tilakaratna, Ganga; Wickramasinghe, Upali; Kumara, ThusithaMicrofinance, one of the widely accepted instruments for poverty alleviation throughout the world, has been used in Sri Lanka spanning for over several decades. Despite the long history and the large number of institutions providing microfinance services particularly to the poor, there is limited knowledge on the impact of microfinance on poverty alleviation in Sri Lanka. This study fills this gap by studying some important issues related to the microfinance sector: outreach of microfinance, role of informal sources of finance and the impact on poverty and welfare of households. Microfinance services in Sri Lanka have a wide geographical outreach but the extent of outreach of private operators including NGOs and commercial banks in rural areas is rather limited. Although the poor and the poorest groups have been reached by Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), a significant proportion of their clientele seems to be from the non-poor groups. Microfinance has helped households in middle quintiles to increase their income and assets; helped the very poor to increase consumption expenditure; has inculcated savings habits among the poor; has worked as an instrument of consumption smoothing among almost all income groups; and has helped women to increase their social status and improve the economic conditions. The study also finds that the informal financial market is pervasive across districts and among different income groups. The study recognizes that financial services alone are not sufficient to raise the living conditions of the poor. To create sustainable micro-enterprise and other economic activities, it is important that MFIs facilitate or directly involve in providing 'credit-plus' services to their clients, particularly to those in low income categories. Development of rural infrastructure facilities is of prime importance to improve the outreach of MFIs in remote rural areas and encouraging the private and NGO sectors to involve more effectively in microfinance provision. The study also stresses the need to take into account the heterogeneity of microfinance clients and their needs in designing more effective microfinance instruments.Item Labour standards and international trade: the case of EU GSP concessions to Sri Lanka(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2005-07) Weeraratne, BileshaItem Impact of trade liberalization on poverty and household welfare in Sri Lanka(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2005-09) Jayanetti, Sanath; Tilakaratna, GangaIt is argued that economic growth is a necessary condition for poverty alleviation while a liberal trade regime is a prerequisite for sustainable economic growth. However, trade liberalization affects consumers and producers differently. While tariff reduction on imports may bring welfare gains to consumers, there would be many producers who are adversely affected by such trade policy reforms. Hence, our attempt in this paper is to look at the impact of trade liberalization on poverty and welfare of households, with a special focus on the rice and potato sectors of Sri Lanka. Both a descriptive approach (for rice and potato sectors) and an analytical model (for rice sector) are used in this regard. The paper also analyses various trade policy reforms taken place during the last decade and, the extent and nature of poverty in Sri Lanka. The descriptive analysis showed various trade policy reforms in rice and potato sectors during the last decade and their implications. The results of the analytical model showed an overall welfare improvement to the country (in the short run) from a tariff reduction on rice. Net welfare effect for all the income deciles is positive. However, the extent of gain for low-income deciles is higher compared to richer deciles. District level analysis showed welfare gains for all the districts except for two large-scale rice producing areas of Ampara and Polonnaruwa. Moreover, Estate sector households had the highest positive welfare effect while the urban sector had the lowest (positive) effect. The rural sector showed a mixed effect depending on whether the households in the area/district, in general, are net producers or net consumers of rice. The paper stresses the need to eliminate ad hoc trade policies and move towards a low uniform ad valorem tariff rate for rice and potato. Moreover, it highlights the importance of having both the compensatory and the complementary policies to minimize the adverse effects of trade liberalization on households, particularly those effects on the poorItem An Investigation of the Replicability of a Microfinance Approach to Extending Telecommunications Access to Marginal Customers(LIRNEasia, 2005-12) Knight-John, Malathy; Zainudeen, Ayesha; Khan, Abu-SaeedThis study is an attempt to examine and document particular sets of solutions that have emerged for the extension of telecommunications access to marginal customers in Bangladesh, under the Grameen Village Phone (VP) program. The study looks at the fundamental problem of access to telecommunications, and focuses on one of the ‘solutions’ that have emerged in response to this problem, in specific that adopted by Grameen of Bangladesh. The solution adopted by Grameen, which has also proven to be an extremely successful business model, stems from the organization’s desires to (a) promote development and poverty alleviation through the use of ICTs and (b) increase telecom access to the rural poor. It is examined closely to establish the factors that have contributed to its success, including the roles of microfinance and infrastructure sharing in the approach. The replicability of the Grameen ‘model’ is then discussed, attempting to answer questions such as how replicable is this model? and if so which parts?Item 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, ManojSri 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.Item Educational opportunities for the poor in Sri Lanka: assessing spatial disparities(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2008-11) Tilakaratna, Ganga; Galappattige, Ayodya; Jayatilaka, Ruwan; Perera, RamaliItem Female entrepreneurship and the role of business development services in promoting(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2014-05) Attygalle, Kaushalya; Hirimuthugodage, Dilani; Madurawala, Sunimalee; Senaratne, Athula; Wijesinha, Anushka; Edirisinghe, ChopadithyaItem Sri Lankan female domestic workers in the middle East(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2014-09) Weeraratne, BileshaItem Returning home:experiences & challenges: the experience of returnee migrant workers of Sri Lanka(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2014-09) Jayaratne, Suwendrani; Perera, Nipuni; Gunasekara, Neluka; Arunatilake, NishaItem Re-defining urban areas in Sri Lanka(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2016-06) Weeraratne, BileshaThe 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.Item 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.Item Why people choose to participate in the non-standard forms of employment in Sri Lanka(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2017) Jayawardena, PriyankaItem Analysis of cinnamon,pepper and cardamom value chains in Sri Lanka(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2017-03) Wijayasiri, Janaka; Thibbotuwawa, Manoj; Hirimuthugodage, DilaniItem Tax policy in Sri Lanka : economic perspective(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2017-06) Kelegama, SamanItem Sri Lanka tea industry in transition: 150 years and beyond(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2018) Wijayasiri, Janaka; Arunatilake, Nisha; Kelegama, SamanItem 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, SuwendraniItem Regulating sub agents for better migration from Sri Lanka(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2018-09) Weeraratne, BileshaItem Country diagnostic on mutual and cooperative microinsurance in Sri Lanka(Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, 2018-12) Tilakaratna, Ganga; Sooriyamudali, Chinthani; Perera, Anarkalee; Abeywickrama, Manavee