Grantee: Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA)
Partner organizations: N/A
Grant period: January 2025 – April 2027
Country of focus: Sri Lanka
FutureWORKS Asia is part of a global initiative supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, dedicated to addressing the evolving challenges in the world of work across the Global South. As the Asian arm of this global network, FutureWORKS Asia is led by LIRNEasia and focuses on fostering high-quality, innovative, and gender-responsive research to shape the future of work in the region. Between 2023 and 2028, FutureWORKS Asia will award research grants and build a regional research network to generate actionable insights and influence policy. The first grant cycle is currently underway, with five projects selected to conduct pioneering research to explore key labor market trends, technological advancements, and socio-economic shifts to ensure inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) has been selected to conduct an 24-month research and advocacy project, The Care Economy Roadmap for Sri Lanka: Charting the Way-Forward
This project aims to develop a comprehensive roadmap with short-, medium-, and long-term goals to strengthen Sri Lanka’s care economy. Adopting a feminist economics perspective, the project will analyze demand and supply dynamics, identify challenges faced by care providers and recipients, and identify existing policy and legal gaps. The study will employ a mixed-methods approach, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative data collection through surveys, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, reflective journals and case studies.
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Research objectives
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Methodology
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Grantee information
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Research Team
- Understanding the current care economy and its impact on labor market inequalities
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- Investigate care needs in Sri Lanka and existing care arrangements.
- Analyze how the unequal distribution of unpaid care work contributes to gender disparities.
- Examine how demographic shifts, migration, and technological changes impact labor market inequalities related to care work.
- Identifying issues related to care demand
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- Assess public willingness to seek formal care services versus unpaid informal care.
- Explore cultural norms and moral considerations influencing care work and gendered burdens.
- Determine affordability and willingness to pay for quality care services across different demographics.
- Understanding supply-side issues
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- Identify challenges faced by private care providers.
- Examine why trained care workers seek employment abroad rather than domestically.
- Investigate why many private care service providers operate informally rather than formalizing their businesses.
- Assessing policy and legal gaps
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- Evaluate the government’s role in providing and regulating care services.
- Assess public awareness of existing policies and identify policy loopholes.
- Explore how technology can be leveraged to formalize the care economy while ensuring equity.
- Recommend labor law improvements to position care as a societal responsibility rather than a private burden.
This project employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection through:
- Surveys
- Key informant interviews
- Focus group discussions
- Reflective journals
- Case studies
A participatory framework will engage key stakeholders—including policymakers, government agencies, care providers, civil society organizations, legal experts, and community leaders—to co-develop actionable policy recommendations that align care demand with supply. The project will integrate insights from international best practices to propose sustainable, inclusive policy strategies.
The Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) is an independent Sri Lankan think tank dedicated to enhancing the understanding of poverty-related development issues. CEPA believes that poverty is an injustice that must be actively addressed, working to bridge policy and practice gaps to create meaningful solutions. Through rigorous research, stakeholder engagement, and policy advocacy, CEPA contributes to shaping inclusive and equitable development strategies.
This project is led by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in gender studies, labor economics, legal frameworks, and policy analysis. The team actively collaborates with policymakers to drive evidence-based change.
- Dr. Gayathri Lokuge – Principal Investigator
A senior researcher with over 20 years of experience in managing research projects, Dr. Lokuge specializes in qualitative methodologies, with expertise in ethnography. At CEPA, she leads the Livelihoods and Employment thematic area and will oversee the research design, qualitative data collection, and roadmap development. She will also integrate feedback from the steering committee to influence policy change. - Nilupulee Rathnayake – Economist
An economist with expertise in quantitative research on labor market dynamics and gender disparities. She will lead the desk research, secondary data analysis, survey design, and quantitative data analysis, ensuring the study’s methodological rigor. - Nadhiya Najab – Gender Expert
With extensive experience in gender, labor, and livelihoods research, Najab will ensure gender equity and inclusivity in the project design and implementation. She will also play a key role in forming the steering committee and shaping the final roadmap. - Agana Gunawardana – Legal Expert
A legal professional specializing in labor law, Gunawardana will analyze legal frameworks, identify policy gaps, and contribute to roadmap development and knowledge dissemination. - Shaneendra Amarasinghe – Research Professional
A field researcher with experience in social cohesion and labor issues, Amarasinghe will support qualitative analysis, survey design, fieldwork supervision, and knowledge dissemination, including website development.
This project is one of the five grantees selected under the first cycle of FutureWORKS Asia, a research initiative funded by IDRC and led by LIRNEasia, a pro-poor, pro-market think tank specializing in digital infrastructure and policy research. LIRNEasia’s work focuses on leveraging digital technology to enhance knowledge, information access, and economic opportunities, particularly for underserved communities.
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