Advocata Institute is hosting an event titled ‘Deep Dive on the Market Competitiveness of Ceylon Tea’ to launch the report on "Market Competitiveness of the Tea Industry of Sri Lanka" authored by Sudaraka Ariyaratne (Research Consultant, Advocata Institute) The conference will consist of a panel discussion on Land & Labour Reforms : Efficiency Through Liberalisation and Quality Control & Premiumisation : Unlocking the True Potential of Ceylon Tea

Session on 'Land & Labour Reforms : Efficiency Through Liberalisation

The session will commence with a presentation by Sudaraka Ariyaratne, followed by a panel discussion with Jeevan Thondaman (Cabinet Minister, Water Supply & Estate Infrastructure Development), Dr Roshan Rajadurai (Managing Director, Hayleys Plantation Sector), Dr Romesh Bandaranaike (Former Director, Plantation Management Monitoring Division) moderated by Murtaza Jafferjee (Chair, Advocata Institute)

Session on 'Quality Control & Premiumisation : Unlocking the True Potential of Ceylon Tea’

The session will commence with another presentation by Sudaraka Ariyaratne, followed by a panel discussion with Niraj de Mel (Chairperson, Sri Lanka Tea Board), Dilhan C. Fernando (Chief Executive Officer, Ceylon Tea Services PLC), Dasarath Dassanayake (Former Head, Manufacture High Grown, John Keells PLC Consultant) moderated by Rehana Thowfeek (Research Consultant, Advocata Institute)

The tickets can be purchased through here

The agenda for the event can be found here

The Advocata Economic Freedom Summit 2024 brings together leading thinkers and doers to deliberate on the state of economic freedom in Sri Lanka. In two separate events, in two different locations they will discuss, debate and contemplate on ideas on how to improve levels of economic freedom in Sri Lanka and to provide audit of Sri Lanka's ratings on the acclaimed Economic Freedom of the World Index.

The Advocata Institute's Economic Freedom Summit 2024, will commence on January 29th, with a forum on 'Economic Freedom & its Pathway to Prosperity' and a panel discussion in Sinhala on 'ධනවත් රටක් හදන ආර්ථික නිදහස'.

Session on 'ධනවත් රටක් හදන ආර්ථික නිදහස'

The session will commence with a presentation on Economic Freedom by Dhananath Fernando (Chief Executive Officer Advocata Institute )

The key note will be addressed by Dr.Harsha de Silva (Member of Parliament & Chairman, Committee on Public Finance).

The panel for the session include Tharaka Balasuriya (State Minister,Foreign Affairs) and Prof. Sirimal Abeyratne (Advisor, Advocata Institute) and moderated by Hasalaka Thushara (Content creator).

Register now for event updates. https://forms.gle/ukmTHYXZHZH8BETp9

The construction industry in Sri Lanka and neighboring regions is hindered by rampant anti-competitive practices, threatening the construction sector. This distorts markets, inflates prices, and limits choices. In light of this issue the Advocata Institute is hosting a half day conference on “Housing for All: The Role of Competition Policy in Construction”

The conference will consist of a panel discussion focusing on the Sri Lankan experience, followed by a panel discussion on the experiences of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. 

Session 1

The Trade and Competition Policy: Impact on Affordable Housing in Sri Lanka

The panel for this session includes Prof Prema-chandra Athukorala (Emeritus Professor of Economics, Australian National University (ANU)), Eng.Thilak Premalal (Chief Executive Officer , National Construction Association of Sri Lanka NCASL) and Athula Amarasekara (Director of Design Team 3, Singapore)

The moderator of the session will be Dr. Roshan Perera (Senior Research Fellow, Advocata Institute)

Session 2

Regional Housing Crisis: The Role of Competition in Construction Markets

The panel for this session includes Omar R. Chowdhury (Research Associate, South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM)), Anu Anna Jo (Senior Associate, Research, Centre for Public Policy Research), Joseph Wilson (Independent Consultant), Dr. Malathy Knight (Project Director, Templeton).

This session will be moderated by Rehana Thowfeek (Research Consultant, Advocata Institute)

Register for event reminder and updates.

Here is a link to the agenda.

Sri Lanka’s State Owned Enterprises have placed a significant burden on public finances. They are also a major source of inefficiency to the economy. Therefore the present economic crisis along with Sri Lanka’s current debt crisis make SOE reforms a priority of national importance, to emerge from present economic challenges.

With this aim of creating further awareness and public debate on the urgency of implementing SOE reforms, the Advocata Institute is hosting a press briefing on October 10th at 10.00AM which will also be live-streamed on Advocata Institute YouTube Channel & Facebook page.

The press briefing will commence with a ten minute presentation by Ms. Rehana Thowfeek (Research Associate, Advocata Institute), followed by statements from Professor Rohan Samarajiva (Advisor, Advocata Institute), Mr. Dhananath Fernando (Chief Executive Officer, Advocata Institute) and Mr. Ravi Rathnasabapathy (Independent Consultant). Thereafter, the event would move on to a question and answer session dedicated to the media and journalists.

Join us for "Empowering Women: A Future-Ready Workforce Force" hosted by the Women's Policy Action Network on Tuesday, the 29th of August, 2023 at 4PM live on WPAN and Advocata Institute's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In the wake of the worst economic crisis since its independence, Sri Lanka is moving rapidly on much needed reforms. Social infrastructures that cater to unburden women's disproportionate care work will be one of the areas of focus at this conference. Further women's access to digital devices and the internet can increase their participation in economic activities, particularly in relation to digital entrepreneurship will also be discussed.

The Key note speaker for this conference is Lakmini Wijesundera (Co-Founder & CEO of IronOne Technologies & BoardPac)

The conference will facilitate two separate discussion sessions on improving Social infrastructure and digital infrastructure, with panelists who are experts in the relative conversations.

This WPAN event is supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and facilitated by the Advocata Institute

Event Agenda
Register for event reminder and updates.

The digital policy brief ‘Unlocking Women’s Potential in the Economy’ can be accessed here

The social policy brief ‘Social Infrastructure for Gender Equality and Empowerment’ can be accessed here

Join us for the launch of the Women's Policy Action Network on Thursday, the 30th of March, 2023 at 6.30PM. The event will be live-streamed on Advocata Institute's Facebook and YouTube Channel.

The Women's Policy Action Network aims to bring about policy reform through advocacy for the economic empowerment of women. It will be a network run by individuals who are committed to women's empowerment. Harnessing advocacy, collating research, and identifying key problem areas that will impact the lives of women are a few of the targets to be achieved. The group will comprise representatives from Civil Society Organizations, policymakers, and women leaders to generate strong conversations advocating for women.

In light of the disproportionate impact of both the pandemic and the economic crisis on women , enhancing women’s participation in the workforce is even more critical. Therefore, the launch of WPAN will be followed with a panel discussion on the thematic area of “Reforms to Empower Women During an Economic Crisis”. 

The keynote speaker is Ms.Shiromal Cooray, the Chairman and Managing Director of Jetwing Travels. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Roshan Perera, Senior Research Fellow, Advocata Institute.

Speakers      

Shan Yahampath - Advisor to the Labour Ministry and the Foreign Employment
Sampath Thrimawithana - Director at Virtusa
Anarkali Moonesinghe -  Board Member at Lankan Angel Network
Sumini Siyambalapitiya - Senior Research Analyst Verite Research

This WPAN launch is supported by the Kingdom of Netherlands and facilitated by the Advocata Institute

Event Agenda

You can access our policy brief here

Register for event reminder and updates.

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With the current economic crisis, the upcoming budget is critical to setting the fiscal direction of the country. How will the government tackle reducing the budget deficit, what tax and expenditure reforms will be brought in, and how will they commit to tackling the rising socio-economic issues such as poverty and malnutrition 

Advocata is hosting its latest online discussion post-budget 2022, with Prof Rohan Samarajiva (Founding Chair, LIRNEasia | Advisor, Advocata Institute), Prof. Sirimal Abeyratne (Professor in Economics | Department of Economics, University of Colombo), moderated by Pasan Wijayawardhana (Economic Research Analyst, Advocata Institute) on Thursday, November 17th at 6.00PM

Short presentations on government expenditure and revenue trends will be done by Udahiruni Atapattu (Research Analyst, Advocata Institute) and Thashikala Mendis (Data Analyst, Advocata Institute)

The discussion will be conducted in Sinhala and will be livestreamed on Advocata Institute Facebook and Advocata Institute YouTube.

Register for event updates

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Advocata is hosting its latest Roundtable discussion on ‘The Role of Tax Administration in Enhancing Tax Revenue’ with Suresh Perera (Principal, Tax & Regulatory KPMG Sri Lanka), Ranjith Hapuarachchi (Commissioner General Inland Revenue) and Dr Roshan Perera (Senior Research Fellow, Advocata Institute) this Thursday on ZOOM, live at 6.00.P.M.

Register for ZOOM link and for future updates

The Advocata Institute launches its second Deep Dive episode with another public policy discussion on “The Role of trade in economic recovery in Sri Lanka”

ONLINE DISCUSSION on ‘The Role of Trade in Economic Recovery in Sri Lanka’ featuring Prof. Prema-Chandra Athukorala (Emeritus Professor of Economics, Arndt-Corden Department of Economics, ANU), Dr. Sarath Rajapatirana (Chair, Academic Programme, Advocata Institute), H.E. Denis Chaibi (Ambassador, Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives) and Dr. Dayaratna Silva (International Trade Economist | Former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the World Trade Organization) The Panel will be Moderated by Aneetha Warusavitarana (Research Manager, Advocata Institute).

Date : Monday, August 30th

Time: 4.00P.M - 6.00P.M

This discussion series kickstarts with a Primer by Dr. Sarath Rajapathirana on 'International Trade: From Theory to Policy: Sri Lanka in Perspective', an explainer on Sri Lanka's Trade.

Here is the Primer on 'International Trade: From Theory to Policy: Sri Lanka in Perspective'

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The discussion is on ZOOM

The discussion will also be live-streamed on Monday, from 4.00 PM on the 'Advocata Institute’ Facebook Page.

China’s journey to becoming an economic superpower is a remarkable study on Chinese economic policies. The country’s transformation from the shadow of Chairman Mao’s communist policies and into the leadership of Deng Xiaoping and state-led capitalism comes with numerous lessons and insights which Dr. Ning Wang – co-author of “How China Became Capitalist” will discuss at the talk + Q&A organised by The Night Watchman Society in collaboration with Advocata Institute.

Date : Thursday August 12th

Time: 6.30 P.M Onwards

About the speaker

Dr. Ning Wang is Senior Fellow at the Ronald Coase Institute and editor-in-chief of Man and the Economy: Journal of the Coase Society. He has taught at the University of Chicago and Arizona State University. His main research interest includes new institutional economics and China’s ongoing market transformation. In 2012, he co-authored How China Became Capitalist with Ronald Coase, which won the 2012 Arthur Seldon Award in Excellence, the 2013 Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award, and the 2013 Best Book in Economics from Beijing News. The book is now available in nine languages. Dr. Wang received his B.S. from Beijing University and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He now lives in San Jose, California with his family.

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The talk will be also live-streamed on August 12, from 6.30 PM on the 'Advocata Institute’ and The Nightwatchman Society Facebook Pages.

The Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has become a topic of recent debate. Some claim that it is an effort to hijack Sri Lanka’s sovereignty by the US, whilst others argue that it is an opportunity to create economic prosperity for Sri Lankans. On April 25, 2019, the MCC Board of Directors approved the five-year Sri Lanka Compact, which is currently pending approval from the Government of Sri Lanka. Since the approval of the Compact, conversations around the MCC grant have been driven by misinformation, fear-mongering and petty politics and many valid concerns about the agreement have gone unaddressed.

MCC ගිවිසුම ගැන ඇත්ත නැත්ත will be at the “Lighthouse Auditorium and Lawns” (Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute) this Thursday (19th September) from 5.30 PM onwards. The Advocata Institute will be providing a platform where the general public can raise questions and concerns from the government and technical experts on the MCC compact. 

Speakers include Prof.Amal Kumarage (Head of the Department of Transport and Logistics Management, University of Moratuwa); Dr.Saman Widanapathiranage (Deputy Director, Highway Designs at the Road Development Authority (RDA) and Mr. Sarath Jayatilaka  (Former Deputy Surveyor General).

The event will be followed by a panel discussion with Hon. Patali Champika Ranawaka (Minister of Megapolis and Western Development); Dr. Charitha Herath (Former Secretary, Ministry of Mass Media and Lecturer, University of Peradeniya) and Mrs. Jenner Edelman (Sri Lanka Resident Country Director - Millennium Challenge Corporation).

CAPITALISM IN ASIA: WHAT IT MEANS FOR SRI LANKA

Capitalism in Asia has had an astoundingly successful run since the 1950s, especially in East Asia, with China now at its centre, and, to a lesser extent, in South Asia. What will be Asian capitalism’s challenges in the next half-century? And what will it mean for Sri Lanka?"

Date : Tuesday, 19th June 2018
Time :  5.30 PM to 8.00 PM
Venue : Sri Lanka Foundation Institute Auditorium, Colombo 07

"I will look at the three faces – or trimurti – of Asian capitalism: economic, political, and global.
 
First, its economic face. So far Asia has had successful “catch-up” growth based on mobilising labour and capital, and imitating what the West has already done. Poor Asia (low-income and lower middle-income Asia) still has much room for catch-up growth. But Middle and Rich Asia (upper middle-income and upper-income Asia) have either exhausted catch-up growth or come close to exhausting it. Their challenge is to innovate, to move to more productivity-based growth. They need the “creative destruction” of “Schumpeterian” capitalism. So what are their innovation challenges?
 
Second, Asian capitalism’s political face. What are the varieties of institutions that underpin Asian capitalism? Are they equipped to move to Schumpeterian capitalism? What are the obstacles? Is Schumpeterian capitalism possible in a Chinese-style autocracy? Or does it need Western-style liberal democracy and “open societies”?
 
And third, Asian capitalism’s global face. Asian capitalism has been successful in a global and regional environment of stability and openness – the post-1945 Pax Americana. US leadership has provided geopolitical security and the maintenance of a liberal world economy. But these conditions seem to be changing, and faster than expected, with the US in seeming decline and retreat, and China ascendant and more assertive. So what are the relevant global and regional scenarios for Asian capitalism?
 
I think Asia will find it much more difficult to meet its innovation challenges than it did to meet its catch-up challenges in past decades. I have strong doubts about the ability of Asia’s political and economic institutions to meet future innovation challenges. Not least, I doubt China’s ability to move to Schumpeterian capitalism under “market Leninism”, and to provide effective leadership in Asia – a Pax Sinica to replace the Pax Americana. I believe Schumpeterian capitalism needs stronger liberal-democratic institutions and more open societies in Asia, and a global context of stability and openness that will require continued leadership by the United States. That, I believe, is essential for the preservation and expansion of freedom and prosperity in Asia. But nothing is pre-programmed. There is a battle to fight. And it must also be fought on Sri Lankan soil – in economic policy, in building liberal-democratic political and economic institutions, in relations with foreign powers, and participation in international institutions."

 - Prof.Razeen Sally

Agenda

5.30 PM -  Registration and Refreshments
6.00 PM -  Introduction to the talk
6.05 PM -  Lecture by Prof. Razeen Sally
7.00 PM -  Q&A with Prof Sally Moderated by Eshini Ekanayake - Economist, JB Securities ltd.

Speaker Profile 

Razeen Sally is Associate Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He is Chairman of the Institute of Policy Studies, the main economic-policy think tank in his native Sri Lanka. Previously he taught at the London School of Economics, where he received his PhD. He has been Director of the European Centre for International Political Economy, a global-economy think tank in Brussels. He has held visiting research and teaching positions at Institut D’Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po) in Paris, the Australian National University, the University of Hong Kong, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, and Dartmouth College in the USA. He was also Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Competitiveness. He is an Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute, and on the advisory boards of the Institute of Economic Affairs (UK) and the Centre for Independent Studies (Australia). He is a member of the Mont Pelerin Society.
Razeen Sally’s research and teaching focuses on global trade policy and Asia in the world economy. He has written on the WTO, FTAs, and on different aspects of trade policy in Asia. He has also written on the history of economic ideas, especially the theory of commercial policy. He is a senior adviser to the Finance Minister of Sri Lanka and his new book on Sri Lanka will be published in 2019.

Moderator Profile

Eshini Ekanayake is an Economist at JB Securities focused on macroeconomic research and analysis on Sri Lanka. She has also worked as an Associate at Moody's Analytics Sri Lanka, supporting economic research of several leading global financial institutions. Eshini has over 6 years of experience in Macroeconomic Research, Economic Forecasting, and Applied Econometrics. She holds a BSc in Economics and Finance from the University of Bristol and an MSc in Economic Policy from University College London.

"Accessing know-how for development"

In a new lecture series by Echelon and Advocata Institute, Prof Ricardo Hausmann of Harvard Uniersity's Centre for International Development speaks about how to access know-how for economic development.  

Economies grow by adding new products and services to their production portfolio, and not by producing more of the same kinds of products. The key to such diversification is access to know-how, but know-how often has to come from abroad. This is because it is often easier to move brains to new countries than to move new know-how into brains. In the experience of Singapore, India, Vietnam and most other dynamic economies, three channels of know-how transfer stand out: FDI, immigration and diaspora networks.

In this lecture, Professor Hausmann explores the relationship between economic development and the accumulation of know-how. He will in particular discuss how to tackle Sri Lanka’s limited export diversification.

Who is Prof Ricardo Hausmann? 

Prof Ricardo Hausmann is one of the most sought after experts in development economics in the world.  He is the Director of Harvard University's Center for Development and Professor of the Practice of Economic Development at the Kennedy School of Government. Previously, he served as the first Chief Economist of the Inter-American Development Bank (1994-2000), where he created the Research Department. He has served as Minister of Planning of Venezuela (1992-1993) and as a member of the Board of the Central Bank of Venezuela. He also served as Chair of the IMF-World Bank Development Committee. He was Professor of Economics at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administracion (IESA) (1985-1991) in Caracas, where he founded the Center for Public Policy. His research interests include issues of growth, macroeconomic stability, international finance, and the social dimensions of development. He holds a PhD in economics from Cornell University. His team at CID has been studying Sri Lanka’s economy, it’s constraints for growth and how to reform it’s trade policy. 

Agenda

5.30 PM -  Registrations and Refreshments
6.00 PM -  Introduction
6.10 PM -   Lecture by Prof Hausmann
6.45 PM -  Q&A with Prof Lawrenece moderated by Murtaza Jafferjee
7.45 PM -  Closing

"Path to Prosperity :  Protectionism or Free Trade?"

With the election of Donald Trump as the President of the US, the topic of trade protection has dominated the economic and business pages of the international press.
Long before the topic came into vogue, Sri Lanka was practising what Trump preached. For over a decade the Government intervened heavily to promote import substitution and local industry. Most Sri Lankans will be surprised to learn that the effective rate of protection is now at a similar level it was in the 1980’s,  reversing almost two decades of liberalisation.
The Fraser Institute which measures and ranks openness of trade amongst countries rank Sri Lanka 135 out of 159 countries mainly owing to complex procedures and high 'para tariffs'.

Is protecting local businesses from foreign competition the way forward for Sri Lanka ? Or should the country embrace globalisation and free trade?  In this lecture Prof Robert Lawrence from Harvard University's Kennedy School of government explores the topic.  

Who is Prof Lawrence? 

Robert Z. Lawrence is Albert L. Williams Professor of International Trade and Investment, a Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

He currently serves as Faculty Chair of The Practice of Trade Policy executive program at Harvard Kennedy School. He served as a member of the President's Council of Economic Advisers from 1998 to 2000. Lawrence has also been a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He has taught at Yale University, where he received his PhD in economics. His research focuses on trade policy. He is the author of Crimes and Punishments? Retaliation under the WTO; Regionalism, Multilateralism and Deeper Integration; Single World, Divided Nations?;andCan America Compete? He is coauthor of Has Globalization Gone Far Enough? The Costs of Fragmentation in OECD Markets (with Scott Bradford); A Prism on Globalization; Globaphobia: Confronting Fears About Open Trade; A Vision for the World Economy; and Saving Free Trade: A Pragmatic Approach. Lawrence has served on the advisory boards of the Congressional Budget Office, the Overseas Development Council, and the Presidential Commission on United States-Pacific Trade and Investment Policy.

Agenda

5.45 PM -  Registrations and Refreshments
6.00 PM -  Introduction
6.10 PM -   Lecture by Prof Lawrence
6.45 PM -  Facts and Figures on Tariffs by Murtaza Jafferjee
7.00 PM -  Q&A with Prof Lawrenece moderated by Murtaza Jafferjee