Volume 07 - Issue 03

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Financial Liberalization Index for Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Adikari, A.M.P.
Financial liberalization is a process of liberalizing the financial system of an economy by reducing controls in interest rates, financial intermediaries, and markets. Since the mid-1980s, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) started financial liberalization as a basic frame work for developing member countries to accelerate economic growth. Sri Lanka has been involved this process since 1977.This study attempts to establish an index to evaluate the complex process of financial liberalization in Sri Lanka by focusing on important changes in the financial sector. The study has used major policy components of financial liberalization to construct financial liberalization index at a particular time. In order to derive the index, an arbitrary value is assigned to each of the policy variables. Each policy variable can take a value between 0 and1.The value is depending on the implementation phases of the policy. Time series annual data from1977 to 2011 are used to construct the index. The principle Component Method is used as an analysis method. This index is helpful to evaluate the impact of financial liberalization policies on various aspect of the economy. The constructed index shows that financial liberalization has gradually increased from 1997to 2011, though the policies are implemented since 1977 in Sri Lanka.
Personal Level Challenges Associated with Inability of Youth in Urban Undeserved Settlements to gain Productive Employment
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Edirisinghe, I.K.
Many empirical research studies have highlighted that the majority living in urban underserved settlements are engaged in insecure, low income livelihood sources mainly in the informal sector. In that context, the present study sought to understand the personal level factors contributing to the inability of youth in underserved settlements to gain productive employment. A representative, random sample of one hundred youth (men and women from the age group 15 – 29 years and who have left schools) was selected from two underserved settlements in the Thimbirigasyaya Divisional Secretary‟s Division for the study. The study has identified thirteen factors as the personal level limitations inhibiting their access to productive employment. Dropping out from schools, low level of educational attainment, lack of participation in vocational training, lack of participation in high demanding vocational training programmes in the labour market, limited access to training programmes offered by recognized training providers and dropping out from vocational training programmes were among the first six factors. The next four factors were lack of interest in investing on human capital, lack of skills in obtaining information on human capital investment and on competitive labour markets, low levels of aspirations and passive acceptance of the underprivileged circumstances. High frequency of changing occupations, marriage at very young ages and lack of skills in handling issues relating to personal relationships were among the last three factors. It can be also concluded that the above factors identified are often seen to be inter-related and therefore it is not easy to resolve the multifaceted problems that confront youth in these settlements. Therefore, this interdependence nature has to be considered with much concern in order to find solutions for these problems.
Medicinal values of plants that are habitat to coastal areas of Sri Lanka: A literary study
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Gunaratna, T.A.N.R.; Samarathunga, D.K.; Liyanage, J.A.
Herbs cover the complete range of growth habits and sizes of plants. As a tropical country there are several plants available in Sri Lanka’s coastal areas that are habitat in large scale. Borassus flabellifer, Cocos nucifera, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Pandanus tectorius and Calotropis gigantea are the plants and creeping vines which are available in large range. They are rich in pharmacodynamics, mentioned in Ayurveda authentic books and as well as in the details of Sri Lankan oral tradition. But none of that information is famous among Sri Lankans. This literary study was conducted to identify the medicinal values Borassus flabellifer, Cocos nucifera, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Pandanus tectorius and Calotropis gigantea which are habitat to the coastal part of Sri Lanka for conservation, sustainable development of natural medicines and share the benefits of their medicinal value. Study was based on the Ayurveda and Sri Lankan traditional authentic books and findings related to the plants were considered and analyzed. According to the results obtained, pacts of whole plant’s parts such as flowers, leaves, bark, roots and fruits have medicinal values and they are used for medicines. Every plant has pharmacodynamic actions which are related to Nerve system, Gastro intestinal system, Respiratory system, Blood circulatory system, Urinary system, Reproductive system and Immune system. Results emphasize the medicinal utility of Borassus flabellifer, Cocos nucifera, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Pandanus tectorius and Calotropis gigantea and it is essential to bring it up to the Sri Lankan society for the enhancement of natural medicine through the natural resources.
Rethinking the Disability Digital Divide in Relations to Visual Disability in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Wedasinghe, N.; Wicramarachchi, R.
People who are blind or visually impaired do not have equal opportunities to access information technology and internet access compared to the non disabled population in Sri Lanka. The level of usage of ICT by the disabled and non disabled are different in developed and developing countries. The purpose of this study is to find the reasons behind the digital divide among the people with visual disabilities in Sri Lanka and proposed solutions to eliminate digital divide among the Sri Lankan visually impaired differently able community. This study was conducted based on the literature behind the Digital divide, social construction of disability, The digital age, the development of information technology and Internet related technology and Other countries and Sri Lankan corporate policies related to information technology and main problems and issues faced by the visually impaired people when accessing ICT and Internet. In order to collect information on the Sri Lankan disability digital divide, interviews were conducted with a range of government representatives and more than 75 visually impaired civil and military computer users in Sri Lanka. As a result of this study it has been indicated that compared to other developed nations, Sri Lanka has also addressed the issue by implementing Nanasala project through ICTA and improving the telecommunication infrastructure with in the country and many other projects via private and public institutions with in the country. Survey results indicated that many Sri Lankans with disabilities are reluctant to use Information technology due to poverty, lack of awareness, lack of interest and their social and cultural backgrounds and also as their first language is not very well supported by the computer system. These factors are highly co-related with digital disability in Sri Lanka. Conclusions and recommendations are made by proposing implementation of several projects under the supervision of the central government. They are to introduce a web portal for visually disabled people with language support, more training and awareness of the ICT among this community, encourage and develop screen reader software which can support first languages such as Tamil and Sinhala.
Socio-economic Schemata Conveyed through Physical Appearance of a Criminal in an Eyewitness Context
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Nirmani, W.A.S.; Karunanayake, D.D.K.S.
The prime factor of wrongful convictions in global criminal justice systems is mostly due to evidence provided by eyewitness misidentifications. Among a wide array of causes for this fallibility in memory, schema-driven false memory gains a crucial role. A host of applied cognitive psychology researches have uncovered that a series of characteristics of the defendant and the characteristics of the witness are causing erroneous reconstructive memory of the witness. Therein schemata on physical appearance which convey socio-economic status (SES) of the criminal are assumed to lead into reconstructive memory in eyewitness testimony. The purpose of the present study, therefore, lied in an attempt to understand the prevailing physical and socio-economic status schemata of a typical criminal and their effects on visual memory of eyewitnesses. A qualitative research design was adopted in data collection and data analysis and six participants were given two schema-consistent and schema-inconsistent pictures that elaborated two different crime scenes of bank robberies. The data were gathered in two different circumstances as immediate recall and delayed recall. The collected data were analyzed in using thematic analysis. The results provided evidence for prevailing schemata on physical appearance that convey information on the criminal‟s SES. These schemata also conveyed evidence to prove that participants have selected and recalled information in accordance to their prevailing schemata on physical traits and apparent SES of the criminals. Thus, it is concluded in the study that according to their inferences on the physical appearance and socio-economic status, eye witnesses make assumptions on their recalling details related to behaviour, person‟s character, criminality, and background of the crime scene.