Food subsidy changes in Sri Lanka: The short-run effect on the poor

When a basic needs approach began to be emphasized in development economics, Sri Lanka gained much prominence due to its long-standing involvement in broad social welfare policies.1 Long before the advent of the basic needs approach, Sri Lanka had pursued a policy of allocating large amounts of reso...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Edirisinghe, Neville
Format: Book Chapter
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 1988
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161109
_version_ 1855540813653606400
author Edirisinghe, Neville
author_browse Edirisinghe, Neville
author_facet Edirisinghe, Neville
author_sort Edirisinghe, Neville
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description When a basic needs approach began to be emphasized in development economics, Sri Lanka gained much prominence due to its long-standing involvement in broad social welfare policies.1 Long before the advent of the basic needs approach, Sri Lanka had pursued a policy of allocating large amounts of resources to enhancing the health, education, and nutrition of the population. On the other hand, it was not too long after the virtues of meeting basic needs started to be appreciated globally that Sri Lanka made a sharp turn from welfare through sharing of poverty to welfare through growth. The change that began in 1977 has led to abandonment of the major element in welfare policy that aimed at broad nutritional welfare through food subsidies. Operationally, the change has resulted in the elimination of all rationing and price subsidies on food and the introduction of an income transfer program through issuance of food stamps intended to protect the really needy. Implicit in the curtailed welfare policies is the expectation that newly adopted growth-oriented investment policies will generate incomes for all, including the present poor. This chapter will examine some implications of this change on fiscal costs, income distribution, and the nutritional welfare of low-income households.
format Book Chapter
id CGSpace161109
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 1988
publishDateRange 1988
publishDateSort 1988
publisher International Food Policy Research Institute
publisherStr International Food Policy Research Institute
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1611092025-04-08T18:26:19Z Food subsidy changes in Sri Lanka: The short-run effect on the poor Edirisinghe, Neville subsidies developing countries food aid agricultural policies When a basic needs approach began to be emphasized in development economics, Sri Lanka gained much prominence due to its long-standing involvement in broad social welfare policies.1 Long before the advent of the basic needs approach, Sri Lanka had pursued a policy of allocating large amounts of resources to enhancing the health, education, and nutrition of the population. On the other hand, it was not too long after the virtues of meeting basic needs started to be appreciated globally that Sri Lanka made a sharp turn from welfare through sharing of poverty to welfare through growth. The change that began in 1977 has led to abandonment of the major element in welfare policy that aimed at broad nutritional welfare through food subsidies. Operationally, the change has resulted in the elimination of all rationing and price subsidies on food and the introduction of an income transfer program through issuance of food stamps intended to protect the really needy. Implicit in the curtailed welfare policies is the expectation that newly adopted growth-oriented investment policies will generate incomes for all, including the present poor. This chapter will examine some implications of this change on fiscal costs, income distribution, and the nutritional welfare of low-income households. 1988 2024-11-21T09:53:32Z 2024-11-21T09:53:32Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161109 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Edirisinghe, Neville. 1988. Food subsidy changes in Sri Lanka: The short-run effect on the poor. In Food subsidies in developing countries: costs, benefits, and policy options. Pinstrup-Andersen, Per (Ed.) Chapter 18. Pp. 253-266. Baltimore, MD: Published for the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) by Johns Hopkins University Press. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161109
spellingShingle subsidies
developing countries
food aid
agricultural policies
Edirisinghe, Neville
Food subsidy changes in Sri Lanka: The short-run effect on the poor
title Food subsidy changes in Sri Lanka: The short-run effect on the poor
title_full Food subsidy changes in Sri Lanka: The short-run effect on the poor
title_fullStr Food subsidy changes in Sri Lanka: The short-run effect on the poor
title_full_unstemmed Food subsidy changes in Sri Lanka: The short-run effect on the poor
title_short Food subsidy changes in Sri Lanka: The short-run effect on the poor
title_sort food subsidy changes in sri lanka the short run effect on the poor
topic subsidies
developing countries
food aid
agricultural policies
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161109
work_keys_str_mv AT edirisingheneville foodsubsidychangesinsrilankatheshortruneffectonthepoor