The Long Shadow of Informality

The Long Shadow of Informality

Author: Franziska Ohnsorge

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2022-02-09

Total Pages: 397

ISBN-13: 1464817545

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A large percentage of workers and firms operate in the informal economy, outside the line of sight of governments in emerging market and developing economies. This may hold back the recovery in these economies from the deep recessions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic--unless governments adopt a broad set of policies to address the challenges of widespread informality. This study is the first comprehensive analysis of the extent of informality and its implications for a durable economic recovery and for long-term development. It finds that pervasive informality is associated with significantly weaker economic outcomes--including lower government resources to combat recessions, lower per capita incomes, greater poverty, less financial development, and weaker investment and productivity.


The Challenge of Youth Employment in Sri Lanka

The Challenge of Youth Employment in Sri Lanka

Author: Ramani Gunatlilaka

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2010-05-11

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 0821381180

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Sri Lanka has long been regarded as a model of a successful welfare state in a low-income setting, yet it has not succeeded in creating a sufficient number of good jobs for the increasing number of young people. Hence, young Sri Lankans perceive their country as an unjust and unequal society, in which mainstream institutions have failed to address inequalities in the distribution of resources, as well as of benefits deriving from economic growth. Against this background, 'The Challenge of Youth Employment in Sri Lanka' aims to identify ways to improve the opportunities available to new job market entrants by addressing existing inequalities and to help young people more fully realize their potentials. Drawing from original research and a review of existing studies, the authors use the 4Es conceptual framework to analyze four key aspects of labor markets employment creation, employability, entrepreneurship, and equal opportunity identifying main issues and results, current trends, and possible new approaches.


Shadows of Conflict in Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka

Shadows of Conflict in Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka

Author: Anna O'Donnell

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2018-12-05

Total Pages: 73

ISBN-13: 1464813442

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This volume summarizes a series of studies undertaken to better understand the current socioeconomic context of the Northern and Eastern provinces in Sri Lanka. Nearly a decade after the end of the Sri Lankan civil war, the Northern and Eastern provinces lag in key social and economic measures. The study was made up of six background studies focused on (i) the provincial economies and economic structures of the North and East; (ii) labor force dynamics; (iii) demographic changes and impacts on vulnerability; (iv) the psychosocial needs of the local population; (v) community and social institutions; and (vi) livelihood trends and impacts of the war on productive assets. These studies were informed by both primary data collection, as well as secondary data sources and literature. The key findings from the assessment show that significant public investments in the Northern and Eastern provinces have resulted in growth and convergence between these provinces and the rest of the country. However, pockets of poverty and deprivation remain across these provinces, and the economic base of the region has yet to fully recover from the impacts of the civil war. Social vulnerabilities were persistent across the Northern and Eastern provinces, and were closely linked with poverty rates. With the demographic impacts of the war, vulnerabilities for women are growing in the region. There was a high rate of psychosocial needs recorded, and evidence that the social fabric has not been fully restored since the war. Citizen engagement, trust, and accountability remain important priorities, alongside economic revival, job creation, and restoring the social fabric and local institutions.


Getting to Work

Getting to Work

Author: Jennifer L. Solotaroff

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2020-03-18

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1464810680

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Sri Lanka has shown remarkable persistence in low female labor force participation rates—at 36 percent from 2015 to 2017, compared with 75 percent for same-aged men—despite overall economic growth and poverty reduction over the past decade. The trend stands in contrast to the country’s achievements in human capital development that favor women, such as high levels of female education and low total fertility rates, as well as its status as an upper-middle-income country. This study intends to better understand the puzzle of women’s poor labor market outcomes in Sri Lanka. Using nationally representative secondary survey data—as well as primary qualitative and quantitative research—it tests three hypotheses that would explain gender gaps in labor market outcomes: (1) household roles and responsibilities, which fall disproportionately on women, and the associated sociophysical constraints on women’s mobility; (2) a human capital mismatch, whereby women are not acquiring the proper skills demanded by job markets; and (3) gender discrimination in job search, hiring, and promotion processes. Further, the analysis provides a comparison of women’s experience of the labor market between the years leading up to the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war (2006†“09) and the years following the civil war (2010†“15). The study recommends priority areas for addressing the multiple supply- and demand-side factors to improve women’s labor force participation rates and reduce other gender gaps in labor market outcomes. It also offers specific recommendations for improving women’s participation in the five private sector industries covered by the primary research: commercial agriculture, garments, tourism, information and communication technology, and tea estate work. The findings are intended to influence policy makers, educators, and employment program practitioners with a stake in helping Sri Lanka achieve its vision of inclusive and sustainable job creation and economic growth. The study also aims to contribute to the work of research institutions and civil society in identifying the most effective means of engaging more women— and their untapped potential for labor, innovation, and productivity—in Sri Lanka’s future.


Decent Work and the Informal Economy

Decent Work and the Informal Economy

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13:

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Describes the informal economy and highlights its decent work deficit. Proposes an integrated strategy to address underlying causes of informality and to promote decent work in all sectors of the economy, from formal to informal.


Companion to Urban and Regional Studies

Companion to Urban and Regional Studies

Author: Anthony M. Orum

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2021-07-05

Total Pages: 676

ISBN-13: 1119316871

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COMPANION TO URBAN AND REGIONAL STUDIES Indispensable overview and timely coverage of the major issues, debates, and research topics in urban and regional studies Companion to Urban and Regional Studies offers an up-to-date view of the rapidly growing field, exploring a diversity of theoretical perspectives, current and emerging research, and critical global policy concerns. Uniquely broad in geographical and thematic scope, this comprehensive volume brings together essays by more than fifty international scholars and researchers to provide expert assessments spanning the many dimensions of urban studies. Organized into five parts, the Companion begins with a review of the current state of cities across East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North America, Europe, and Latin America, and all other world regions. Subsequent sections discuss contemporary theoretical perspectives, describe common methodological approaches used by urban scholars, and examine the political, social, and economic problems facing twenty-first century cities. Covering historical issues, current challenges, and comparative perspectives in urban studies, this timely resource: Addresses intensely debated policy issues such as governance, housing, immigration and migration, segregation, social mix, and gentrification Describes the use of demographic methods, advanced spatial analysis, social networks, policy mobilities, and ethnographies in urban studies research Discusses critical urban theory, feminist urban research, urbanization and environmental change, and the legacy of the Chicago School Covers contemporary research topics such as urban and regional inequalities, social heterogeneity and diversity, financialization Includes representative case studies of each region, including Australasia, Latin America, East Asia and South Asia Companion to Urban and Regional Studies is essential reading for scholars, researchers, practitioners, urban activists, and students, and it represents a must-have complement to The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Studies.


Garments without Guilt?

Garments without Guilt?

Author: Kanchana N. Ruwanpura

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2022-06-16

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1108832016

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Explores how labour struggles in the post-1977 period in Sri Lanka provided important resistance to capitalist processes.


Global Economic Prospects, January 2019

Global Economic Prospects, January 2019

Author: World Bank Group

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2019-02-12

Total Pages: 494

ISBN-13: 1464813868

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The outlook for the global economy has darkened. Global financing conditions have tightened, industrial production has moderated, trade tensions have intensified, and some large emerging market and developing economies have experienced significant financial market stress. Faced with these headwinds, the recovery in emerging market and developing economies has lost momentum. Downside risks have become more acute and include the possibility of disorderly financial market movements and an escalation of trade disputes. Debt vulnerabilities in emerging market and developing economies, particularly low-income countries, have increased. More frequent severe weather events would raise the possibility of large swings in international food prices, which could deepen poverty. In this difficult environment, it is of paramount importance for emerging market and developing economies to rebuild policy buffers while laying a stronger foundation for future growth by boosting human capital, promoting trade integration, and addressing the challenges associated with informality,