Advocata SOE Reform Roadmap : Getting the State Out of Business: The Compelling Case for Privatisation of State-Owned Businesses

Sri Lanka's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are a major hindrance to the country’s economic prosperity. The state's footprints extend across all major industries - telecommunications, banking, ports, petroleum, and power generation. With over 400 SOEs spread across 33 sectors and employing roughly 250,000 workers, they form an inefficient, bloated bureaucracy. The IMF's Governance Diagnostic Assessment flags SOEs as being high-risk for corruption, plagued by weak management, shoddy oversight, rigged procurement processes, political interference, and a lack of transparency. Sri Lanka cannot afford the status quo. Decisive action to privatise SOEs is essential to break free from the cycle of inefficiency and corruption, and unlock sustainable economic growth.

Here is the link to the Advocata SOE Reform Roadmap in English on

Getting the State Out of Business: The Compelling Case for Privatisation of State-Owned Businesses

Here is the link to the Advocata SOE Reform Roadmap in Sinhala

Here is the link to the Advocata SOE Reform Roadmap in Tamil

Advocata Policy Brief : The Role of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) as a Sustainable Alternative to Public Infrastructure Investments in Sri Lanka

The Budget Speech 2024 revealed that Sri Lanka plans to accelerate Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to secure the required investments and expertise to facilitate continued provision of much needed public infrastructure projects across the country. Against the backdrop of Sri Lanka’s efforts to come out of its current economic crisis, which was largely caused by the mismanagement of public finances and unsustainable levels of national debt - partly taken to fund large scale public infrastructure projects, this indication to involve the private sector in public infrastructure service provision going forward is a positive and sustainable sign.

However, the PPP framework in Sri Lanka at present is characterised by multiple institutional and regulatory weaknesses, which should be resolved before PPPs can fully serve to facilitate sustainable infrastructure investments in the country.

Here is the link to the Advocata Policy Brief on The Role of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) as a Sustainable Alternative to Public Infrastructure Investments in Sri Lanka

South Asia Economic Outlook: World Bank | Infrastructure Challenges & Economic Growth | Murtaza Jafferjee | Maurizio Bussolo

In this episode of Advocata Studio, Advocata Chair, Murtaza Jafferjee is joined by Maurizio Bussolo, (Lead Economist, Chief Economist Office for South Asia, The World Bank). In this video he discusses with Murtaza Jafferjee on trade, gender inequality, and economic growth in South Asia, and its impact on productivity. He also addresses the South Asia's economic growth and infrastructure challenges.

Watch the full discussion here:

Maurizio Bussolo, (Lead Economist, Chief Economist Office for South Asia, The World Bank) also presents a report on South Asia's economic outlook, highlighting slowing growth and challenges such as weak private investment and fiscal position.

The presentation by Maurizio on South Asia Development Update: Toward faster, Cleaner Growth can be accessed here