ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on Sri Lanka which examines the effectiveness of the Sri Lankan government in resolving the problems it faces. Three serious problems stand out. The first is the search for economic development. The second is the crisis of political development and the difficulty of maintaining a democratic system. The third is the need to resolve the deep ethnic differences that continue to divide the country, even after the end of the civil war. Burglaries and violent crimes against civilians are common in the Tamil-populated areas. Media that criticize the government commonly experience police raids on their offices, arrests or brief detentions of their employees, and in some cases violent attacks. Most of the political systems of the third world are facing a political development crisis: trying to meet the needs of their societies with limited resources and government institutions that are incapable of achieving goals.
