Sharmila Gamlath

Learning Organization Dimensions of the Sri Lanka Army.

Purpose – This study intends to investigate the extent to which the Sri Lanka Army can be described as a learning organization. Design/methodology/approach – The main tool of analysis used was the Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) developed by Marsick and Watkins, with the exclusion of the sections on financial and knowledge performance. Findings – Using the DLOQ, the research found that the dimensions of a learning organization proposed by Marsick and Watkins are present in the Sri Lanka Army, although with some aberrations between different ranks. Research limitations/implications – The study was conducted without a directly connected dependent variable. Practical implications – This study shows how even a non‐profit‐oriented organization like the Sri Lanka Army can be informed from a concept like the learning organization, and indeed emphasizes the overarching need for a military organization to operate as a learning organization. Therefore, this research has reiterated the fact that the learning organization is a prescription that all organizations, even not‐for‐profit ones, should ardently pursue. The research also offers recommendations for improvements in the performance of the Sri Lanka Army by identifying certain weaknesses. Originality/value – By initiating the use of the DLOQ in the Sri Lankan as well as a military context, the study has opened the doors for administering the DLOQ and similar tools for measuring the extent of organizational learning and the presence and strength of learning organizational characteristics in Sri Lanka.

“Freeing” free education in Sri Lanka

Purpose – The research aims to describe Sri Lankas education system, discuss reforms that have been implemented within the school, university and vocational education sectors in the recent past and suggest potentially fruitful reforms whilst identifying the various constraints which can affect their implementation.Design/methodology/approach – A descriptive approach is employed, with extensive review of related literature and the use of relevant secondary data where appropriate.Findings – The research shows the need for considerable reform of Sri Lankas education system, especially with regard to improving the quality of state education and encouraging greater private sector participation.Research limitations/implications – The research shows the deficiencies Sri Lankas education system suffers from and suggests means to overcome them. However, the political and social pressures may present obstacles upon the implementation of such courses of action.Social implications – The recommendations offered by ...

Technical Change, Variable Elasticity of Substitution and Economic Growth

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the properties of the variable elasticity of substitution (VES) production function, and examine the dynamics of growth associated with it. Design/methodology/approach - The VES production function is incorporated into an otherwise standard Diamond overlapping generations model. Findings - Depending on parameter combinations, the economy can achieve a unique and stable steady state akin to that observed in the Solow-Swan model, reach a poverty trap or transition towards an upper bound of per capita capital stock. A special case of the VES production function is also consistent with unbounded growth. Research limitations/implications - The paper is theoretical in nature. Further empirical analysis could shed deeper insights into the results presented in this study. Practical implications - The VES production function, when applied to the context of the Diamond model, can capture a variety of growth experiences observed in the empirical literature. Social implications - In the context of the Diamond model, a higher value of a particular parameter in the production function leads to greater intergenerational income and consumption inequality. Hence, the study provides a potential explanation for intergenerational inequalities observed in practice. Originality/value - The study demonstrates the empirical value of the VES production function in explaining observed differences in factor shares, rewards and elasticities within and between countries over time.

Health Expenditures and Inequality: A Political Economy Perspective

We consider an overlapping generations model with heterogeneous agents where a persons probability of survival into old age is determined by a variable elasticity of substitution health production function with public and private expenditures as inputs. Analytical and numerical results reveal that higher substitutability between private and public expenditures at the aggregate level and a higher share of public spending in the production of health lead to higher long run wealth levels and lower inequality. In the political equilibrium, higher aggregate substitutability is associated with higher public health expenditure. For most parameter combinations, the political economy and welfare maximising proportions of tax revenue allocated towards public health care converge in the long run. These results provide a political economy explanation for the low investments in public health care in developing countries, where aggregate substitutability between public and private health expenditures is likely to be lower. Our results indicate that policies to improve institutional aspects that yield higher substitutability between public and private health expenditures and returns to public health spending could lead to better long run economic outcomes.