This collection contains all research reports related to economics.

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Recent Submissions

  • State of the Budget 2026 

    State of the Budget Report; No. 05
    Economics Team, Verité Research
    (Colombo: Verité Research, 2026-01)
    This 5th edition of the State of the Budget by Verité Research provides an independent analysis of the National Budget for 2026 presented to the Parliament of Sri Lanka on 7 November 2025. It evaluates the budget’s financial, ...
  • Youth Labour Market Assessment: Sri Lanka - 2018 

    Econ Team, Verité Research (Colombo: Verité Research, 2018)
    The 2018 Youth Labour Market Assessment builds on the groundwork laid down in the preceding year and provides information and guidance for project interventions. With this objective in mind, researchers engaged in a variety ...
  • Balancing India and China: A Case Study of Sri Lanka 

    Abeysinghe, Subhashini; Arangala, Mathisha; Siriwardena, Dilushi; Meegoda, Malinda (Verité Research, 2024-12-31)
    Sri Lanka’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean has placed it at the center of intensifying geopolitical competition and rivalry between China and India. This report examines Sri Lanka’s experience in balancing its own ...
  • Benefits of Adopting Measures to Facilitate Trade: A Case Study on Forest Permits for Exporting Horticultural Products 

    Research Brief;September 2024
    Econ Team
    (Colombo: Verité Research, 2024-09)
    Governments often mandate that traders secure permits before importing or exporting certain products to fulfill objectives such as protecting endangered species, endemic flora, and ensuring consumer safety. The time, cost, ...
  • Public Report on the 2021 Budget - Assessment of the Fiscal, Financial and Economic Assumptions Used in the Budget Estimates 

    Econ Team (Colombo: Verité Research, 2020-11)
    The 2021 budget presented to parliament on 17 November 2020 sets out the government’s proposals for raising public funds through taxation and proposals for expenditure during the year. These proposals form the key components ...
  • Public Report on the 2021 Budget: Assessment on Whether the Expenditure Allocations and Taxation Policies are in Line with the Governments Policy 

    Econ Team (Colombo: Verité Research, 2021-03)
    This report will assist the public and other stakeholders in understanding the adequacy, credibility and prioritisation of the government’s expenditure allocations and taxation policies and the extent to which these are ...
  • Budget Promises: Beyond Parliament - 2020 End Year Assessment 

    Econ Team (Colombo: Verite Research, 2021-10)
    Due to the absence of a budget speech in 2020, the public finance platform tracked 24 cabinet decisions—a combination of expenditure and regulatory policy decisions—made from January to June 2020. The decisions tracked ...
  • Verité Research Debt Update - December 2023 

    Debt Update;Issue 04
    de Mel, Nishan; Peiris, Udara
    (Colombo: Verite Research, 2023-12-01)
    This issue provides coverage on Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring and progress on the IMF program. This issue also includes analysis on the 2024 Budget and the need for improved governance for sustainable economic recovery. ...
  • Verité Research Debt Update - May 2023 

    Debt Update;Issue 03
    de Mel, Nishan; Peiris, Udara
    (Colombo: Verite Research, 2023-05-17)
    This issue provides coverage and analysis of the IMF Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) and Sri Lanka’s progress on the 100 commitments outlined in the IMF program. The key developments identified were; 1) The IMF Debt ...
  • Verité Research Debt Update - March 2023 

    Debt update;Issue 02
    de Mel, Nishan; Peiris, Udara
    (Colombo: Verite Research, 2023-03-17)
    This issue provides coverage and analysis on the usability of the IMF financing and the volatility of the exchange rate. These are the key developments identified; 1) Sri Lanka is expected to reach board level agreement ...
  • The Gender Pay Gap in Sri Lanka: A Statistical Review with Policy Implications 

    Verité Research; International Labour Organization (Colombo: ILO, 2024-04)
    This report provides the first in-depth quantitative and qualitative analysis of the gender pay gap in Sri Lanka with the intention to unveil not just the extent of the gender pay gap, but the nature of the gender pay gap ...
  • Verite Research Debt Update - February 2023 

    Debt Update;Issue 01
    de Mel, Nishan; Peiris, Udara
    (Colombo: Verite Research, 2023-02)
    This issue provides coverage and analysis on the financial assurance letters issued by China, India, The Paris Club and a group of private bond holders to the IMF on their commitment to support Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring ...
  • Civil Society Governance Diagnostic Report on Sri Lanka: An Assessment of the Anti-Corruption Landscape of Sri Lanka 

    Parakrama, Arjuna (Colombo: Transparency International Sri Lanka, 2023)
    This Civil Society Governance Diagnostic Report on the Anti-Corruption Landscape of Sri Lanka (Report), prepared on the basis of extensive local consultation over a two-month period with a range of community and sectoral ...
  • Budget Allocation Criteria Study 

    UNICEF Sri Lanka Working Paper;June 2023
    Abeysinghe, Subhashini; Senanayake, Charini; Haniffa, Hafsa; Ansar, Siyama
    (Colombo: United Nations Children's Fund, 2023-06-21)
    The Budget Allocation Criteria report aims to enhance the understanding of the criteria that determine the allocation of funds from the national budget to selected sectors and provinces in Sri Lanka. The report provides ...
  • Northern Provincial Council: Citizens Budget 2022 

    Verité Research; UNICEF (Colombo: UNICEF, 2022)
    The citizens' budget was essentially a simpler, shorter, and less technical version of the government's budget that was specifically designed after crucial consultation with the public and civil society to present key ...
  • The lure of Chinese loans : Sri Lanka’s experiment with a special framework to finance its infrastructure investments 

    Verité Research (Colombo: Verité Research, 2022-08)
    China was the leading provider of external finance to Sri Lanka for infrastructure development during 2010-2016 accounting for 37% of the total. Sri Lanka borrowed USD 5,895 million from China for infrastructure development ...
  • Syndicated Surveys: Mood of the Nation - Round 02 2022 - Who can be the most effective leader for Sri Lanka at this time 2022 

    Pumudika, Amarasekara; Nishan, de Mel (Verité Research, 2022-07-01)
    This questione answered Who can be the most effective leader for Sri Lanka at this time? Syndicated Surveys by Verité Research which gauge public sentiment on Sri Lankans' various social and political viewpoints. The data ...
  • Syndicated Surveys: Mood of the Nation - Round 05 2023 - Aragalaya and Economic Rebuilding (Press Release) 

    Econ Team (Verité Research, 2023-06)
    Syndicated Surveys by Verité Research which gauge public sentiment on Sri Lankans' various social and political viewpoints. The data is collected through a telephone interview and a nationwide randomised sample of around ...
  • Syndicated Surveys: Mood of the Nation - Round 05 2023 - IMF Programme (Press Release) 

    Econ Team (Verité Research, 2023-06)
    Syndicated Surveys by Verité Research which gauge public sentiment on Sri Lankans' various social and political viewpoints. The data is collected through a telephone interview and a nationwide randomised sample of around ...
  • Syndicated Surveys: Mood of the Nation - Round 05 2023 (Press Release) 

    Amarasekara, Pumudika; Nishan, de Mel (Verité Research, 2023-06)
    Syndicated Surveys by Verité Research which gauge public sentiment on Sri Lankans' various social and political viewpoints. The data is collected through a telephone interview and a nationwide randomised sample of around ...

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