Parliament and Cabinet Needs Reliable Economic Analysis

Abstract

A regular feature of Sri Lanka’s public debates and writing on economic issues is that they are infused with factual inaccuracies or claims that are quite misleading. This reflects poor political and public understanding on the real state of the economy and undermines sound economic decision-making in the country. This Insight shows how pronouncements on the cost of international borrowing have been subject to just this problem. The problem is aggravated by the fact that Sri Lanka’s parliamentarians don’t seem to have access to reliable economic analysis. A mechanism to provide parliamentarians and cabinet with independent and reliable economic analysis can be important for Sri Lanka’s future.