Sri Lanka's Trade Policy: Reverting to Dirigisme?

Athukorala, Prema-chandra

doi:10.1111/twec.12039

Sri Lanka's Trade Policy: Reverting to Dirigisme?

The World Economy, Vol. 35, Issue 12, pp. 1662-1686, 2012

25 Pages Posted: 23 Dec 2012

See all articles by Prema-chandra Athukorala

Prema-chandra Athukorala

Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University; Australian National University (ANU)

Date Written: December 2012

Abstract

The paper surveys recent development in Sri Lankan trade policy, with an emphasis on emerging protectionist tendencies, using Sri Lanka’s Trade Policy Review (2010) by the World Trade Organisation as a reference point. The Sri Lankan experience for over the three decades following the liberalisation reforms stated in 1977 has clearly demonstrated that an outward‐oriented policy regime can yield a superior development outcome compared to a closed‐economy regime, even under severe strains of a protracted ethnic conflict and macroeconomic instability. Viewed against this backdrop, recent developments in the Sri Lankan policy scene do not seem to augur well for the future of the Sri Lankan economy.

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Athukorala, Prema-chandra, Sri Lanka's Trade Policy: Reverting to Dirigisme? (December 2012). The World Economy, Vol. 35, Issue 12, pp. 1662-1686, 2012, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2193224 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/twec.12039

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