Publications

Fixing NTBs betwen India and Sri Lanka

Measures to prove compliance with an importing country’s standards and regulations are necessary for all exports. However, Sri Lankan exports to India suffer greatly from the associated costs and delays. This Insight proposes a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in Conformity Assessment Procedures (CAPs) to overcome this barrier and encourage further trade between Sri Lanka and India.

Central Bank’s 30 Year Bond Debacle: What is the Loss?

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 published calculation of the monetary loss, and recalculates it at 0.9 billion rupees. It also highlights two other issues: conflict of interest, and confidence in institutions, which add to the negative consequences of the Central Bank decision.

Exports to India – Putting the free back into the FTA

Sri Lanka’s history with bi-lateral trade agreements demonstrates the need for more careful negotiation. This Insight explains how the tariff benefits of the India Sri Lanka FreeTrade Agreement (ISFTA) have been outweighed by the existance of non-tariff barriers (NTBs).

19th Amendment – The Wins, the Losses and the In-betweens

This brief analyses some of the changes made to the original 19th Amendment Bill during deliberations at the Committee State in Parliament. It also assesses the final version of the Amendment in terms of its delivery on the people’s expectations with respect to democratising and depoliticising governance.

Presidential election 2015

Anticipation of voter behaviour in the 2015 presidential election can be informed by the evolution of voter trends in previous elections. Analysis of election results in Uva over the last decade suggests that the war and war-victory created a deviation in voting patterns among UNP supporters. In the opportunities to vote in the early aftermath of the war-victory, a section of the UNP might have been persuaded to cast a ‘gratitude vote’ for the UFPA, especially President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The numbers suggest that in later elections the same voter might have decided to abstain (become a ‘sleeper’) thus making the UNP seem uncompetitive in electoral contests, even while the UPFAs’ vote share ebbed. The 2014 Provincial Council election in Uva signals a return from that deviation towards normal competitive politics.

President’s Executive Powers: Demystifying the 19A Bill Ruling

“Can the President’s executive powers be controlled through strengthening the Prime Minister’s functions without a referendum?” – This question has generated much commentary and dominated many discussions after the recent Supreme Court Ruling on the 19th Amendment Bill. This brief seeks to demystify and concisely explain two major principles on which the ruling was framed and explain in terms thereof, their implications for the executive power and office of the President, outlining the type of relevant constitutional changes that requires a referendum and the type that doesn’t.

Sri Lanka Domestic Workers: An Analysis of the Legal and Policy Framework

This report analyses the legal and policy frameworks applicable to domestic workers in Sri Lanka. The report uses global standards of decent work to offer a fresh perspective on the problem and aims to outline a strategy for sustainable reform in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: Domestic Workers and Civil Society: In Sight but Out of Mind

Verité Research recently conducted interviews with 22 members of civil society organizations to assess the quantity and quality of research on the subject of domestic workers’ rights in Sri Lanka. While measuring and evaluating current literature on domestic workers, this report sets out a four-pronged hypothesis on why domestic workers’ rights have not featured on the civil society agenda in Sri Lanka.

LLRC Implementation Monitor- Statistical and Analytical Review No. 3

LLRC Implementation Monitor: Statistical and Analytical Review No. 3 is Verité Research’s latest study on the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). This report is the outcome of twelve months of monitoring the implementation of the LLRC’s recommendations. The report examines in detail the implementation status of 189 LLRC recommendations. It also provides an initial quantitative analysis of 563 complaints made before the LLRC during its public hearings.

Sri Lanka: Domestic Workers & Employers Survey

Verité Research recently conducted a survey amongst over 300 local domestic workers and their employers. The survey was conducted in the context of a serious dearth of data and information with regard to domestic workers who work in Sri Lanka. Using ILO Convention No.189 as a frame of reference, this report analyses the findings of the survey and contributes towards better understanding the socioeconomic and cultural factors that promote and prevent decent work conditions for domestic workers in the country.