Pri's blog

One of the most productive outcomes of my visit to Istanbul was the time spent in reading and reviewing four papers that were presented at the  session on ‘Varying perspectives on the global development agenda’ at the Southern Voice Global Conference that preceded the TTI 2015 Exchange . The papers were: Ibrahima  Hathie’s  ( IPAR, Senegal ) The post-2015 Development Agenda – favourable for Africans? Mireya Villacis’ ( CEDA, Ecuador ) Alternatives for or to Development Ajaya Dixit’s ( ISET-N, Nepal ) The Changing intersection of society and development goals: an examination aimed at improving policy Bitrina Diyamett’s ( STIPRO, Tanzania )    Is the current booming growth in Africa worth celebrating?  Some evidence from Tanzania The papers produced some clear messages that cut across the geographical divide of three continents.  They emphasised the need for inclusive growth, recognising that economic growth in itself is not enough, that it is a necessary but not suffi

Here are what some would call 'irrational’  and possibly heretical  initial thoughts, after listening to President Sirisena’s interview on Rupavahini last night, and considering aspects of  the 100 day mini budget.     President Sirisena has called for a change in the ‘political culture’ of Sri Lanka. But unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be an equally strident call for a change in attitude about what constitutes well being for Sri Lankans, and what we need to do to ensure a more sustainable Sri Lanka.  For those of us working on sustainable development it is obvious that the current levels of consumption and the mantra of unbridled economic growth cannot continue in Sri Lanka (or in the world).   Ravi Karunanayaka’s ‘Robin Hood’  mini budget speech,  laudable because it is catering for the lower income citizens  of Sri Lanka, has a disturbing statement  “ in order to encourage low income families to purchase a motor car to improve their living standards, I propose to r