Poverty alleviation is the first of the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. However, the three decades of progress in poverty alleviation hit the COVID-19 pandemic wall (World Bank, 2022). This was further exacerbated by longstanding macroeconomic mismanagement in countries such as Sri Lanka. Counting the poor is the first step in poverty alleviation (The Economist, 2023). Deaton (2016), for example, notes that recording details of how people live, their consumption patterns, and their expenditure has long served as a tool, sometimes a political one, that aimed to bring the living conditions of the impoverished to the attention of those in authority, to evoke shock, and to advocate for reform.
By employing unsupervised and supervised machine learning techniques, we explore the feasibility of utilizing mobile call detail records (CDRs) as well as geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) data to map poverty spatially
This working paper explores the effect of gender on the likelihood of internet access and the likelihood of possessing digital skills capabilities among Indians and Sri Lankans, based on nationally representative survey data from 2021. An updated version of this paper will be published in the 2024 EQUALS Research Report. The supplementary tables for this report chapter can be accessed here.
Draft: Open for Comments Social protection is a critical tool for promoting economic and social inclusion, reducing inequality and poverty, addressing vulnerabilities, and investing in human development. Social protection is viewed as nationally owned policies and instruments that provide income or in-kind support, protect from deprivations and exclusion, and empower individuals and households by increasing productivity and capabilities. Responsive and accountable governance plays a vital role in removing barriers and ensuring effective checks and balances, enabling citizens to fully benefit from social protection (UNDP, 2022). The objective of this research is to understand the challenges to achieving responsive and accountable governance in social protection, which hinder citizens from fully benefiting from social protection in Sri Lanka. This paper will draw on one of the key thematic areas identified in UNDP’s Social Protection Offer 2.
Draft paper, open for comments Many countries use multidimensional approaches to determine eligibility for social assistance programmes. However, monetary-based metrics remain a key tool used for measure poverty. It is crucial to understand the linkages between the two, to understand how best to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the social assistance programmes. This paper looks to explore the relationship between the 22-indicator deprivation score used in Sri Lanka to determine eligibility for its key social assistance programme, Aswesuma, and the national poverty line, measured using per capita consumption expenditure, drawing on a nationally representative survey. It concludes that the deprivation score has a positive, but weak to moderate, relationship with expenditure-based poverty, and discusses implications for policymakers.
The technological advancements of the recent decades, including the expansion of the gig economy have given rise to increasing numbers of opportunities for flexible work for both men and women across the globe. Opportunities range from ridesharing to online freelancing to running home-based businesses with the help of social media and logistics platforms. The growth in opportunities for digital work have expanded considerably after the advent of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Flexible work arrangements – such as those offered by the gig economy—have long been argued as an enabler of women’s increased and sustained participation in the labour market. This is particularly pertinent for countries like Sri Lanka, which have tussled with low female labour force participation (LFP) rates over the years.
On May 23rd 2019, the Government of Sri Lanka posted the Draft Cyber Security Bill on the SL CERT website and invited public comments/input. LIRNEasia submitted comments in response to the SL CERT’s request. Our written comments submitted on 5th June 2019 are available through the link below Comments on the Cyber Security Bill – Sri Lanka 2019 Subsequently in August 2023, the Government of Sri Lanka posted an updated version of the Cyber Security Bill and invited public comments. LIRNEasia once again submitted written comments on 18th August 2023, which can be accessed here. Comments on the Cyber Security Bill – Sri Lanka 2023 The report below analyses the extent to which the input submitted by LIRNEasia in 2019 has been taken into account in the updated (August 2023) version of the proposed Bill
We know from our previous qualitative work that women see online work and the flexibility it entails as a way to earn their own income while balancing childcare and other domestic responsibilities. However, many barriers and challenges remain to women’s participation in the online workplace, including gender gaps in internet connectivity and digital skills, as well as constraining social norms. To better understand women’s engagement with the ecosystem of digitally enabled work, between 2020 and 2023 we conducted further qualitative research in collaboration with the Centre for Policy Research, India, the Indian Institute for Human Settlements and World Resources Institute, India, and. The research aimed to assess the ecosystem within which women are engaging with digital work in India and Sri Lanka and the kind of impact that online platforms can create for women’s economic empowerment in order to inform updated labour market regulation and business practices. The final project report can be found below. 
LIRNEasia Chair, Rohan Samarajiva and Senior Research Fellow, Sujata Gamage recently published an article in the Journal of Information Policy entitled Forming Policy Intellectuals in the Asia Pacific and Africa: Communication Policy Research South, 2006–2018. Read the full article here. 
LIRNEasia submitted a response to the Ministry of Technology’s invitation to comment on the Cyber Security Bill uploaded to the website of Sri Lanka CERT in August 2023 (www.cert.gov.lk). The submission addresses specific concerns related to the requirement for accreditation of Cyber Security service providers, the composition of the Cyber Security Regulatory Authority and the definition of the term Critical National Information Infrastructure.
LIRNEasia is currently looking to fill the role of a Junior Researcher. The full job description is available here. The deadline for applying is 31st August 2023.
We are inviting proposals from potential bidders to conduct a qualitative study on Information Disorder in Sri Lanka.
We are inviting proposals from potential Bidders to conduct a Longitudinal study on the drivers of household electricity consumption in Sri Lanka. The full RFP can be downloaded here. Please also see our Technical Proposal Template, Financial Proposal Template, and Contract Template before submitting the proposals. Deadline for submissions is 24th July 2023
The ‘Harnessing Data for Democratic Development in South and Southeast Asia’ project currently being implemented by LIRNEasia is focused on data policy ecosystems in South and Southeast Asia taking into account both formal and informal policy and practice. The project also aims to expend the community of practice of Asian Data for Development practitioners and enhance the capacity of actors to participate in policy making processes and evidence-based policy influence related to data. Data governance ecosystems are made up of policies, laws, practices, behaviours and technologies that govern data. Ideally, a data governance system protects rights, enables innovation, improves transparency, and ultimately brings about democratic, inclusive governance. There are many existing and new such policies, laws and practices and tensions can arise when balancing conflicting needs. 
Sujata Gamage, Senior Research Fellow explores the question of how civil society can make use of opportunities for deeper engagement in policy-making. 
Senior Research Manager Gayani Hurulle, Statistician Tharaka Amarasinghe and Chairman of the Welfare Benefits Board B. Wijayaratne, spoke of Social Safety Nets in a virtual session organised by the National Movement for Social Justice on the 25th June 2023.