Sri Lanka’s Post Independence Political-Economic Challenges: An Analysis

Abstract

This research seeks to explore the socio-economic and political domains of the state and society in Sri Lanka since independence with a specific focus on the various ways in which these factors have compounded existing economic issues in the country. The research focuses on the historical background of ethnic conflicts, civil war, and bureaucratic policies of the British colonial masters and examines how the post-independence and constitutional changes like the Sinhala Only Act and certain Amendments in the Constitution has undermined minority ethnic groups and fueled ethnic tensions in the country. The research discusses the impacts of globalization on Sri Lanka's political economy in details and how Sri Lanka was unable to adhere to globalization’s basic principles in its political and economic policies. This research provides a cyclical behavior between ethnic and political crises, and the economic downturn.