I was invited to write an English review of the Sinhala edition of Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka’s new book බලය හා බලය (‘Balaya Saha Balaya’). The review, which I reproduce here, originally appeared in the Daily Mirror of Monday 4th August 2014. In it, I argue that Minister Ranawaka’s book is a formidable look at the nexus between […]
Over the weekend, The Curionomist dropped by at the Hansa Coffee store and cafe on Fife Road for a quick cuppa but ended up having an interesting chat with the proprietor on the difficulties Hansa faces in getting people to choose local coffee over imported ones. But firstly, lets set out biases – I love Hansa coffee (and cannot understand ...
End of season sales can be great ways of pulling customers into a store, and it’s a clever marketing strategy used by most high as well as low-end stores. The brands for which the franchise is owned by the Softlogic group is having a widely advertised “upto 50% off” sale at many of their branded stores to clear out last ...
As we near the 5 year mark since the end of the war in 2009, I’ve been reflecting on Sri Lanka’s economic journey since then. A discernible trend in post-war growth is that it has been led largely by growth in what economists’ call the ‘domestic non-tradable sector’ – construction, domestic transport, utilities and wholesale […]
You may have an LG tv or an LG fridge, but did you know that LG’s initial bunch of products were actually toothpaste and facial cream? I’ve been learning about private sector development in Korea, and the stories are awe-inspiring. It’s interesting that two of South Korea’s biggest global brands started off making cosmetics. Both LG and Amore Pacific had ...
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 […]
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 […] ...
Everyone in the room was anxiously and eagerly awaiting his arrival – the man who, over 4 decades ago envisioned a new world economic order full of collaboration and honest dialogue. It was our first day in Tianjin as part of the Global Shapers Community, a day prior to the start of the full sessions […]
The 2012 Annual Sessions of Sri Lanka’s top body of economists, the Sri Lanka Economic Association, was held over the weekend on the theme ‘Export Growth for Sustained Development’. It isn’t easy to capture all of the rich discussion, but here are nine interesting facts that The Curionomist picked out for you, from presentations and speakers of the experts ...
So aside from today being International Youth Day, apparently it’s also ‘World Elephant Day’! Elephants have strong historic and cultural ties in Sri Lanka – from working elephants that carried logs or fought alongside kings in ancient Sri Lanka, to the present day parading of them in elaborate costumes at Buddhist peraheras. So on ‘World […]
President Mahinda Rajapakse (Minister of Finance) and Nivard Cabraal Central Bank Governor at the launch of the 2012 Annual Report of the CBSL (Photo courtesy Yahoo News, Dinuka Liyanawatte/REUTERS) Yesterday, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) released it’s 2012 Annual Report, revealing that the economy grew by 6.4% last year. Last year was not an easy year for the ...
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 […]
Avurudhu season is hotting up and nearly all the credit card companies are falling over themselves to offer the most attractive discounts and offers. I for one eagerly took advantage of a couple of them last week. Today’s hot spots were at the Race Course where HSBC was running a 20% discount and ‘fashion hawker […]
India truly is a place of incredible contrasts and it was strikingly noticeable to me on a recent visit there, which took me from the heart of glitzy Mumbai to dusty Nagpur. Both Mumbai and Nagpur are in the same state of Maharashtra, separated by a 1.5 hour plane ride or a 8-10 hour road […]
This article originally appears in the Daily Mirror Business paper of 25th February 2015, and is the 3rd in the ‘Smart Future’ series. In recent years, Sri Lanka has not been as serious and aggressive about forging trade agreements as many of its competitors. As global agreements like the Doha Development Agenda have stalled, many […]
Apparently Japanese Sake brewers are gradually letting loose their ultra-traditional stance and looking for new ways to push their products in foreign markets. According to an article in the New York Times titled ‘Sake With Your Burger? Japan is Looking West to Save a Tradition’, Japanese Sake brewers are partnering with restaurants in cities like New York to […]
On the request of some of those who attended this morning’s launch of the UNDP’s National Human Development Report 2014 on the theme of ‘Youth and Development’ (coinciding with Int’l Youth Day today, 12th August), I am posting here my comments that I shared during the short panel discussion that followed the formal launch. I […]
The Curionomist was at the launch of the 2nd National Human Development Report (NHDR) 2012 of the UNDP, and the Chief Guest at the occasion Dr. Sarath Amunugama (Senior Minister for Int’l Monetary Cooperation) was unusually dismissive about such a report. He remarked that there are many reports that have come out by many entities and they must be looked at carefully and ...
This is the 2nd article in the ‘Smart Future’ series – my new weekly column in the Daily Mirror Business. In recent years Sri Lankan policymakers have turned their back on Europe – not only in terms of political issues, but also in terms of trade policy. The pivot of international economic policy to countries […]
Nearly six years since the end of the war, Sri Lanka is struggling to get any impressive increase in FDI. The only notable increase in FDI has come in the property, leisure, mixed development and real estate sector, evidenced by projects like Shangri-La, Altair Tower, JKH Waterfront, ITC Hotels, etc. FDI targets have been falling sharply short […]
