VR Insights: Recent submissions
Now showing items 41-60 of 80
-
‘Cess’ – End the Deception and Build ‘Street Lights’
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2013-11-27)In Sri Lanka, ‘Cess’ is the name given to a special tax imposed on sales, where the revenue is earmarked for a specific fund with a particular economic purpose. This article discusses how the government has stymied export ... -
Economics of the broken window is applicable to corruption
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2015-03-04)The Sirisena presidency and the UNP that championed it have been endorsed by the ballot with the hope that they will take action against the rampant corruption that was felt to be hurting the public welfare under the ... -
Strengthening Parliament Critical for Credible Budgets
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2014-12)Sri Lanka’s budgets show considerable variation between publicly declared budget allocations and actual expenditure on line items. This gap can create a credibility problem. There is a specific section in Sri Lankan laws ... -
Does the Sri Lankan media exploit parliamentary candidates during elections?
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2020-09)The pricing data of media institutions reveals that the media discriminates against the democratic process by charging higher rates for political ads than commercial ads, during election periods. This Insight quantifies ... -
Is the Right to Information Good for Business?
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2015-03)Prior to the enactment of the RTI Act in Sri Lanka in 2016, a debate had arisen on whether enacting a right to information (RTI) law could impede businesses. The main concern was that competitors could use the RTI process ... -
The post war growth bump has hit the ceiling
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2013-08)This article explores the question of whether Sri Lanka could expect higher sustained GDP growth post-war and concludes that the post-war bump-up is over for the time being. It suggests that the high growth is unsustainable ... -
The Economics of Media Freedom: is Sri Lanka on a virtuous or vicious cycle?
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2013-10)This article explains the economic importance of media freedom by considering three reasons: i) indicative reasons; ii) instrumental reasons; and iii) integral reasons. Media freedom is indicatively important because it ... -
Can the Singapore Chinthanaya work for Sri Lanka?
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2013-10)Singapore is a classic example of an Asian country that avoided the middle-income trap, and it has often been sighted as a model for Sri Lanka. This article substantiates the claim that there is neither a theoretical nor ... -
ශ්රී ලංකාවේ මත්ස්ය අපනයනය යුරෝපයේ තහනමට ලක් වුයේ ඇයි?
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2015-03)In January 2015, the European Commission banned the import of Sri Lankan fisheries products for violating guidelines on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing. This Insight suggests that the ban was triggered by the ... -
මහ බැංකුවේ තිස් අවුරුදු බැඳුම්කර ඛේදවාචකය : ‘අහිමි වූයේ‘ කුමක් ද?
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2015-07)In February 2015 the Central Bank of Sri Lanka called an auction for one billion rupees on a 30 year bond. It then accepted 10 fold – 10 billion rupees – after the bids were in. This Insight identifies three errors in the ... -
තොරතුරු හිඟයෙන් පීඩා විඳින ශ්රී ලාංකික අපනයනකරුවෝ
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2017-07)There are several causes to the problems facing Sri Lanka’s economy. The problem of bureaucratic inefficiency is exemplified by this case study: finding information about trade regulations is a significant barrier to ... -
විශ්වාසනීයත්වයෙන් යුතු අයවැයක් සඳහා පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ විචාරාත්මක මැදිහත්වීම ශක්තිමත් කිරීම
(කොළඹ: වෙරිටේ, 2015-01) -
The Tea Industry: A New Sustainability Approach
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2013-06-09)What do unions do? In a landmark title by this name (1984), Harvard University economists Richard Freeman and James Medoff demonstrated that labour unions have two faces. One is confrontational and the other is cooperative. ... -
A Win-Win Solution for Management and Workers in the Tea industry
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2013-03)Pareto Efficiency is an important concept in economics. It occurs when all win-win opportunities have been fully pursued. In societies as well as in organisations there are numerous opportunities to make changes that leave ... -
Fixing Sri Lanka’s Revenue Problem is a Priority
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2017-02-10)Taxes are the key source of government revenue. Normally, tax share as a percentage of GDP is expected to increase as per capita GDP rises. This Insight shows that in Sri Lanka, this is not the case; the country’s per ... -
Central Bank’s 30 year Bond Debacle: What is the “Loss”?
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2015-07)In February 2015 the Central Bank of Sri Lanka called an auction for one billion rupees on a 30 year bond. It then accepted 10 fold – 10 billion rupees – after the bids were in. This Insight identifies three errors in the ... -
Sri Lanka’s international borrowing costs are not declining
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2014-11)The government first raised international debt through bonds in October 2007. Since then several international bonds have been issued to feed the government’s twin demands: financing its spending and propping up foreign ... -
Cigarette Taxes Need Parliament’s Oversight
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2016-06-02)Every year, on the 31st of May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners mark World No Tobacco Day. This day is set apart to highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use and to advocate for effective ... -
Trademark Registration: From Colombo to Madrid
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2016-11-30)The Madrid Protocol is a global mechanism for registering trademarks outside one’s home country. It reduces the time, inconvenience and cost incurred by companies attempting to ensure international recognition and protection ... -
Fixing NTBs between India and Sri Lanka
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2015-08)The Insight examines the issue of non-tarrif barriers (NTBs) faced by exporters of processed foods from Sri Lanka to India, in the context of ensuring compliance with standards and regulations. It concludes with proposing ...