I was at a very interesting session on ‘The New Global Financial Order’ at the UNESCAP Asia Pacific Business Forum last week, and something that one of the speakers said struck me. He remarked, “This was a financial crisis more than an economic crisis. It should never have happened. Money was originally only a medium of […]
Earlier this week, economists, policymakers, and business leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region gathered in Bangkok for the UNESCAP’s Trade and Investment Week. Participating in it gave a valuable insight into how economic growth is panning out across the region, and how stakeholders are adapting to a new post-2015 era of development priorities – the Sustainable Development Goals or […] ...
These robotic vacuum cleaners seem to be growing in popularity, particularly in East and South East Asia. Spotted these displayed in the electronics and home section of a mall in Bangkok. The most popular seem to be the Samsung and the LG ones, pictured here. Dyson, the legendary vacuum manufacturer, is reportedly coming up […]
In recent years, much of our foreign policy has been preoccupied with managing international relations related to the end of the war, human rights and governance issues. But as a country seeking to be a serious regional economic player, attracting foreign investment, and boosting prosperity for its citizens, it was high time we reoriented this. Our […]
The World Bank-IFC’s annual ranking and scoring of countries’ business climates and regulatory systems was released yesterday. But there was some confusion. The latest report has done a full revision of its previous years rankings, and several countries – including Sri Lanka and India – had seen their ranks of last year revised. But many […]
China’s growth prospects continue to be a hot topic in discussions on the health of the global economy. It’s easy to be caught up in the bearish sentiment on China, given recent events. And especially given the systemic risks to the world economy that a China slowdown poses. But here is my take on what is likely driving […]
A recent visit to France was quite revealing in the context of something I had written last year. While at IPS, I authored the Policy Perspectives chapter of the annual State of the Economy (SOE) report a couple of times and in last year’s edition on ‘Rising Asia‘ I had written about consumption in Asia and […]
How can Sri Lanka stand out as a tourism destination? That’s a question that continues to challenge tourism development officials and hospitality industry professionals alike. The country faces a twin challenge of meeting ambitious targets (the latest one of 4 million tourists by 2020) while also attracting higher-end tourists. It’s certainly not a pipe dream. […]
I knew that Xiaomi was the most popular phone maker in China and had a stupendously high valuation. Also that they only sell online, no store presence. But I never knew this about them – that they only sell in “flash sales” ever so often, it is in limited batches, and it all happens within […]
By now, we have all heard about the sad hit-and-run killing of a female leopard in Yala last week. It is yet another instance of reckless driving by safari jeep drivers inside the national park, and another nail in the coffin of a wonderful park that is increasingly becoming too crowded to enjoy. In 2012, BBC’s correspondent in […]
In the midst of tumultuous global markets, a migrant crisis in Europe on top of their economic weaknesses, and continued bloody conflicts in the Middle East, the global economic order continues to be shaped and reshaped every day. Attending the recent Global Shapers Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) gave a unique insight […]
Following Wednesday’s ‘Smart Future’ article, I had a lot of very insightful feedback and pertinent questions. A couple of exchanges in particular were very rewarding, as it helped jog my thinking further as well. I thought it would be useful for the readers of the blog to get a taste of it, so I am reproducing […]
“When China sneezes, does the world catch a cold?” is a question on the minds of investors, economists and world leaders this week, as recent troubles in the Chinese economy sent ripples through markets around the world. The sneezing came in three bouts. In July, China’s stock market began to show the first signs of […]
During a recent work visit to Switzerland I had a bit of down time and decided to visit some lesser-known sights in the country. I stumbled upon this Roman era amphitheatre located in present day Avenches (Aventicum, back then). It so happened that this area was celebrating its 2000 year anniversary. The amphitheatre saw intense entertainment in […]
The Sri Lankan economy is in the midst of a unique, and tricky, transition. It’s easy for Sri Lanka to get stuck in what economists call “the middle income trap”. Already the country is finding it increasingly difficult to compete against cheap labour in low-income economies (like Bangladesh, Cambodia and Laos), on the one hand, […]
Have you noticed how sales assistants at cosmetic and skincare product stores like Clinique or Kiehl’s in airport duty free wear white coats that are identical to those worn in laboratories (and also by pharmacists)? It’s a very clever strategy of subliminal messaging by these brands. What it probably aims to do is to […]
Over the past decade or more the Sri Lankan economy has become less and less open to the world than it has ever been. Exports to GDP has nearly halved; the share of trade in overall growth has fallen, our overall tariff protection rates are higher now than in the past; our export diversification and […]
President Maithripala Sirisena delivered a keynote address at the closing session of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce ‘Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2015′ today, addressing over 500 of the country’s leading private sector representatives. Here are my 9 highlights from his remarks. The government must be transparent, accountable, clean, and fair in its dealings with the […]
I saw this story about e-medi help and remote diagnosing and it reminded me of one of my first exposures to the power of ICTs in bridging the services gap for people. It was on a World Bank field visit during a summer project back in 2006, we were going around the country visiting project […]