ABSTRACT

Sri Lanka has long been recognized for its achievements in human development. In large part, this achievement is credited to the policies of successive governments that provided widespread access to health and education services free of charge for over 50 years. However, the country’s social sectors are now faced with new challenges. Recent policy debates have highlighted the need to improve the quality of services, especially in rural areas, and to modernize and make them more relevant to current market demands. Despite a long-standing separatist conflict and recurrent exposure to external shocks, Sri Lanka’s economy has maintained growth above 5% since 1990.