Choices

Reimagining higher education in Sri Lanka

Aug 29, 2013 (LBO) - The following was written as a framing document for the 49th LBO-LBR CEO Forum, held on 27th August 2013. How would you reimagine higher …

Sri Lanka’s anti-corporate band wagon

Aug 27, 2013 (LBO) I grew up in nationalistic times. The talk was of prosperity driven by oil from Pesalai and fertilizer from Eppawala. We were told that we …

Debate over Sri Lanka’s China-owned container terminal

Aug 13, 2013 (LBO) - I had a civilized debate on Facebook with a good friend on whether Chinese ownership of the new container terminal at the just inaugurated …

Sri Lanka’s latest household income and expenditure

July 18, 2013 (LBO) - The Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) is my favorite among all the surveys done by the government. Where else do you get …

Is the Chinese model replicable?

July 01, 2013 (LBO) Three days in Shanghai is surely not enough to understand what makes China tick. But as I sit in the new Pudong International Airport …

Pros and cons of government ownership in Sri Lanka

May 29, 2013 (LBO) - There is an argument being made in the rich parts of Colombo. It is not being articulated in words, but in deeds. The Navy is running …

Electricity tariff 2013: Forward or backward step for regulation

May 06, 2013 (LBO) - In early March 2013, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) announced a public consultation as part of its decision making …

Reimagining public transport in Sri Lanka

Apr 02, 2013 (LBO) - Last week, I had the opportunity to moderate a powerful expert panel on transport at the LBO-LBR CEO Forum. Below is a revised version of …

How to think about Sri Lanka electricity tariffs

Mar 15, 2013 (LBO) - Suddenly, electricity is on everyone’s minds. I watched vox pop segments on a TV show (people on the street speaking to a camera). They …

Sri Lanka’s success as a hub: Location is not enough

Feb 19, 2013 (LBO) - I’ve been seeing the insides of too many airports, one reason for the long gap since the last Choices column. Made me reflect on what …

Speaking for the administration in Sri Lanka

Dec 07, 2012 (LBO) - The middle page of the December 5th, 2012 Lankadeepa, the newspaper with the highest readership in Sri Lanka, carried a long interview …

How good is Sri Lanka?

Nov 29, 2012 (LBO) - I came across a little index from The Economist that I tweeted about. I was surprised by the reaction: lots of retweets; even caused the …

Sri Lanka’s natural experiment in state enterprise management

Nov 19, 2012 (LBO) - The government of Sri Lanka owns and operates two loss-making airlines. There was a time when the one poorly performing airline was …

Sri Lanka’s ground water fees

Oct 22, 2012 (LBO) - Protests are starting against the announcement that everyone pulling ground water will have to obtain a license. online pharmacy buy cipro …

Sri Lanka’s public-private action in Galle

Oct 09, 2012 (LBO) Some colleagues who had come to Sri Lanka at my invitation for a business meeting had flights out Sunday late evening. My first thought was …

Government and the Internet

Sept 11, 2012 (LBO) Last night I watched Bill Clinton nominate Barack Obama as the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. Clinton is a classic speaker. …

Sri Lanka: What strategies are appropriate for us?

Aug 13, 2012 (LBO) - My book was launched August 6th. My task was to thank people. This was important because the preface of this rushed-to-print book was …

More on the Sri Lanka cancer subsidy: Not just fuel

July 09, 2012 (LBO) - A few weeks back I wrote that the government is subsidizing a known carcinogen, diesel, pointing specifically to the lumbering, …

Sri Lanka missing the bus again?

June 25, 2012 (LBO) - If Sri Lanka is to achieve transformative, inclusive growth, it needs to have 7 percent plus growth for several consecutive years. online …

Is Sri Lanka subsidizing cancer with diesel?

June 18, 2012 (LBO) - Health is not a topic that is routinely covered in this column. online pharmacy buy cipro with best prices today in the USA I am not …