Private sector engagement for sustainable development in Sri-Lanka: Evidence-based policy and practice

The Sri Lankan government has widely recognised that the private sector and the development of MSMEs are the key to achieving a sustainable, innovation-based economic growth that will eradicate poverty. Thus an urgent need for the country has arisen to build the required policy platform that can stimulate sustainable growth in the private sector. However, successful policy outcomes that
encourage private sector participation are contingent upon the capacity of government officials. The overall goal of the Program is, therefore, to develop a cohort of government officials who will be able to 1) successfully craft and execute policy designs to attract higher levels of private sector participation that will spur economic development 2) disseminate evidence/information for the use of policy makers and strategic leaders of the business community to build coalitions amongst them 3) ensure wider access to interdisciplinary fields of economics, politics and entrepreneurship required to understand/appreciate the interests, motivations and objectives of their counterparts in policy dialogues 4) communicate reliable evidence into horizontal and vertical governance practices in participation, transparency and accountability. This initiative is facilitated through exposure to the knowledge and experience of the expert policy makers and academics in Australia.