The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) is a composite index that measures the extent of gender-based gaps in and among countries and tracks progress towards reducing these gaps over time. See Box 1 on calculation of the Gender Ga

Recently Central Bank Governor Prof. W.D. Lakshman at a media briefing stated that Sri Lanka was following a market-oriented economy with state guidance, involving some controls and restrictions. He was quoted as saying that such a framework would no

With the recent events unfolding in Sri Lanka, it’s high time that the corporate leaders and thought leaders of the Sri Lankan society take a stand on the gender discrimination that is happening right before our very own eyes. The elephant in the r

The import ban imposed by the government was a bitter pill to swallow for many but certain sections of the economy did stand to benefit from the move, as it provided an elevated platform to perform better.

It is rather unusual for trade union leaders to speak geopolitics.

Newly elected chief of the Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters’ Association (SLAEA) Aroon Hidramani spoke to Mirror Business recently on how the country’s apparel sector is gearing up to tackle 2021 after a tumultuous year marred by a global pandemic.

Two thousand twenty-one will be a difficult year. For most economies – not just for Sri Lanka. One does not have to be a macroeconomist to predict that. This year carries a legacy from 2020 that has brought unprecedented economic shocks as the cons

Two thousand twenty-one—it’s finally here! I think we can all agree that the last year was both the longest and fastest year ever. One thing we will all remember from 2020 is how work and life collided and converged in an unprecedented way, makin

The Sri Lankan authorities have been able to achieve stable macro-economic indicators despite the severe economic dislocation caused by the pandemic. Inflation has remained well within the 4-6 percent target range and the improvement of the trade def

International migrants have historically been a driving force of the Sri Lankan economy and during the COVID-19 pandemic their remittances have helped boost the country’s foreign exchange earnings.

Growth and development come hand-in-hand with better governance and application of law and order. Ill-considered strategies result in leakages that will see us meandering in this constant state of a ‘developing nation’ – a poster-child of disap

Myanmar police have filed charges against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi for illegally importing communications equipment and she will be detained until Feb. 15 for investigations, according to a police document.

Iran will not accept any changes to the nuclear accord signed in Vienna in 2015, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.

For the 10th consecutive year, MTI Consulting (via their Corporate Finance practice), in partnership with Daily FT, Daily Mirror and Sunday Times, has concluded the MTI CEO Business Outlook Study, collectively outlining the Sri Lankan business commun

While no one is immune to contracting COVID-19, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified specific groups that are at higher risks of becoming seriously ill. One such group is those suffering from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including

As the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) looms large in about a month’s time, the debate on its controversial Resolution 30/1 of 2015, which the ‘Yahapalana’ government co-owned in an unprecedented and unwise move, has resumed w

Farmers, hoteliers and homestay owners, fishers, producers of the famous Kanthale milk curd, Ayurveda healers, fruit growers, developers, safari jeep drivers, local dwellers—all derive their livelihoods from shared natural resources offered by the

In just three months since we released our last forecast in October, recorded COVID-19 deaths have doubled to over two million, as new waves have lifted infections past previous peaks in many countries. In these same three months, multiple vaccines h

From a foot-operated handwashing machine invented by a nine-year old boy in Kenya, to a new “sky park” opened in Bangkok on an disused railway line that could serve as a model for greening abandoned spaces, to the roll-out of robots in health cen

High levels of inequality impede sustainable growth and development of a country. Sri Lanka made impressive strides to reach an upper-middle-income country (UMIC) status in July 2019, only to slip back a year later. The COVID-19 crisis, amid growing

The motivation for Special Economic Zones, also commonly referred to as SEZs, stems from an innovative idea: to overcome distortions in policy and infrastructure constraints in domestic economies.

The unprecedented disruptions of COVID-19 are causing a geopolitical reset — and as the global order is redrawn, small emerging market economies like Sri Lanka are vulnerable to the fallout. Sri Lanka straddles vital shipping routes and is at the c

Sri Lanka’s extensive network of public healthcare workers has been the underlying force behind the country’s pandemic response. This series of articles, beginning with the Puttalam district, aims to capture the ground realities of pandemic manag

Hats off to Prime Minster Mahinda Rajapaksa for at last realising that hard truth that “we would have been better off economically, had the country adopted a policy of focusing on producing import alternatives – rather than depending on other cou

The global shock of the COVID-19 pandemic proves, once again, the old adage that ‘it takes a crisis’ and especially so in the world of education. From school leaders to students, educators and parents, are absorbing the lessons, rethinking past a

No 21st century organisation can survive without a central information system that integrates its work functions across the units and management layers. Some organisations do this with enterprise resource planning (ERP) software tools,

The immediate implication of Demutualisation is that the process seeks to give majority control of the Stock Exchange to the investors who may not have trading rights.

“Reduce, reuse, and recycle”- a household phrase you’ve probably heard over and over again either through school, from awareness campaigns or even on TV.

2020 was a year of ultimate disruptions across a widest spectrum, that no expert saw coming: the virus and its devastating impact on lives, livelihoods, society and governments.

According to generally accepted economic theories and their practical application, boosting economic growth has been seen as the best way to create job opportunities and raise living standards of people.