Bridging Knowledge and Action for a Resilient Sri Lanka.

Name: Lalith Athulathmudali Advanced Research Centre
Address: LK

Video Courtesy: Eslam Mohammed Abdelmaksoud, Rudi De Ceuster, Oshada Geeth

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Recent Insights

Policy Prism

Issue 1

A Critical Reflection on Foreign-Run Tourism Businesses and the Growing Shadow Economy in Sri Lanka.

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The LAARC Wall

Prudent Public Investments: The Case of Sri Lanka's Brown Sugar Outlet

Sri Lanka’s new outlet for brown sugar and a few other local products raises concerns about the poor use of public funds, limited market demand, and overlap with existing state retailers. Despite its intention to support local producers, the outlet’s narrow product range and low turnover make it financially unsustainable. The project reflects more inefficiency than impact, highlighting the need for better-planned public investments.

Achini Yapa Bandara

5 min read

Urban Flooding in Sri Lanka: A Call for Sustainable Development

Sri Lanka’s recent floods expose a deeper crisis rooted in decades of unsustainable urban development and weak environmental governance. Despite massive investments in infrastructure, unplanned growth, loss of wetlands, and fragmented planning have intensified flood risks. The disaster reveals a development model out of step with hydrological reality and underscores the urgent need for climate-adaptive, sustainable urban planning.

Maleesha Manage & Achini Yapa Bandara

8 min read

Political Sleight of Hand: How Sri Lanka’s Estate Wage Promise Became a Numbers Game

Sri Lanka’s 2026 budget recasts a long-promised wage rise for estate workers into a numbers game. After pledging a Rs. 1,700 daily wage, the government now offers Rs. 1,550 plus a Rs. 200 attendance allowance funded by Rs. 5,000 million of public money. This article critiques how such fiscal manoeuvring sidesteps the legal framework of the Wages Board and turns a promise of justice for a vulnerable workforce into a political sleight of hand.

Viduravi Athulathmudali

7 min read

IN HONOUR OF LATE HON. LALITH ATHULATHMUDALI

Lalith Athulathmudali remains one of Sri Lanka’s most respected and visionary statesmen. A distinguished barrister and one of the most academically accomplished political leaders in the country’s history, he dedicated his life to the advancement of national governance, economic reform, and the preservation of democratic values.

Over the course of his distinguished career, Mr. Athulathmudali held several key ministerial portfolios, including Minister of National Security and Deputy Minister of Defence, Minister of Trade and Shipping, Minister of Education, and Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Cooperatives. In each role, he brought deep intellectual rigour and pragmatic vision, formulating and implementing policies that significantly shaped the nation’s trajectory.

Among his many contributions, the Mahapola Scholarship Programme stands as a lasting legacy — a transformative initiative that expanded access to higher education for thousands of Sri Lankan students. Yet his impact extended far beyond education. He played a pivotal role in modernizing the Colombo harbour, strengthening the Armed Forces and Police, and guiding national security policy during a critical period of internal conflict.

Mr. Athulathmudali’s unwavering commitment to restoring democratic governance and securing national sovereignty defined his public service. His ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of these ideals serves as a powerful reminder of the cost of leadership grounded in principle and courage.

This think tank is founded on the enduring values and aspirations Lalith Athulathmudali championed — integrity, intellectual excellence, and a vision for a just, prosperous, and democratic Sri Lanka. Through our work, we seek not only to honour his memory but to advance the mission to which he devoted his life.