{"id":11450,"date":"2026-01-29T08:36:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T03:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mgt.sjp.ac.lk\/bec\/?p=11450"},"modified":"2026-01-29T08:49:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T03:19:45","slug":"new-study-proposes-robust-framework-to-measure-sri-lankas-digital-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mgt.sjp.ac.lk\/bec\/new-study-proposes-robust-framework-to-measure-sri-lankas-digital-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"New Study Proposes Robust Framework to Measure Sri Lanka\u2019s Digital Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>New Study Proposes Robust Framework to Measure Sri Lanka\u2019s Digital Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A new peer-reviewed research study titled <strong>\u201cCapturing the Digital Economy Measurement Framework for Sri Lanka: Assessing Key Indicators, Trends, and Policy Implications\u201d<\/strong> presents one of the most comprehensive attempts to quantify Sri Lanka\u2019s digital economy using an internationally aligned analytical framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Authored by <strong>Prof M.A.K. Sriyalatha, Dr P.P. Lalanie, and Dr M.P.K. Withanawasam<\/strong>, the study was financed by a <strong>Research Grant from the Gamani Corea Foundation<\/strong> and formally presented at the <strong>Inaugural Research Conference of the Gamani Corea Foundation<\/strong>, held at the <strong>Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), Colombo<\/strong>, on <strong>28 November 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Addressing a Critical Policy Gap<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite rapid growth in digital infrastructure, mobile connectivity, and digital financial services, Sri Lanka has lacked a <strong>standardized and policy-relevant method<\/strong> to measure the digital economy\u2019s contribution to national output. This study responds to that gap by developing a <strong>Digital Economy Measurement Framework (DEMF)<\/strong> tailored to Sri Lanka\u2019s economic structure and data availability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using the country\u2019s latest <strong>Input\u2013Output tables<\/strong> and drawing on global best practices from institutions such as the <strong>Asian Development Bank (ADB)<\/strong> and the <strong>OECD<\/strong>, the authors estimate the size of the digital economy under alternative definitions\u2014ranging from narrow sectoral measures to more comprehensive, weighted approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Findings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sri Lanka\u2019s digital economy remains <strong>modest in size<\/strong>, though its impact extends well beyond core ICT sectors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Measurement results vary significantly depending on definitions, highlighting the importance of methodological clarity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <strong>weighted, expanded framework<\/strong> provides the most realistic estimate of digital GDP contribution<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Digitalization generates strong <strong>spillover effects<\/strong> across traditional sectors such as finance, manufacturing, transport, and services<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The study underscores that without a credible measurement system, national targets\u2014such as increasing the digital economy\u2019s contribution to <strong>15% of GDP by 2030<\/strong>\u2014will be difficult to plan, monitor, or achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Policy Relevance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The research offers clear recommendations for policymakers, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Institutionalizing digital economy measurement within national accounts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Aligning digital infrastructure and skills investments with measurable economic outcomes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Using digital GDP metrics to guide development planning, regulation, and public investment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By providing an evidence-based foundation, the study strengthens Sri Lanka\u2019s capacity to design and evaluate digital economy policies more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the Study<\/strong>This research forms part of the <strong>Gamani Corea Foundation Research Paper Series (2025\/10)<\/strong> and contributes to national and regional discussions on digital transformation, inclusive growth, and development economics.<br><br>Read More:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1dqqdTKbbUMgtuKSH7XkqtRmpbOa1VoKD\/view\">https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1dqqdTKbbUMgtuKSH7XkqtRmpbOa1VoKD\/view<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Study Proposes Robust Framework to Measure Sri Lanka\u2019s Digital Economy A new peer-reviewed research study titled \u201cCapturing the Digital Economy Measurement Framework for Sri Lanka: Assessing Key Indicators, Trends, and Policy Implications\u201d presents one of the most comprehensive attempts to quantify Sri Lanka\u2019s digital economy using an internationally aligned analytical framework. Authored by Prof [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11451,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,29,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-publications","category-research-center-for-business-economics-and-development-studies-news","category-top-stories"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mgt.sjp.ac.lk\/bec\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Book-Cover.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7odTZ-2YG","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mgt.sjp.ac.lk\/bec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11450"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mgt.sjp.ac.lk\/bec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mgt.sjp.ac.lk\/bec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mgt.sjp.ac.lk\/bec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mgt.sjp.ac.lk\/bec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11450"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mgt.sjp.ac.lk\/bec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11450\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11454,"href":"https:\/\/mgt.sjp.ac.lk\/bec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11450\/revisions\/11454"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mgt.sjp.ac.lk\/bec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mgt.sjp.ac.lk\/bec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mgt.sjp.ac.lk\/bec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mgt.sjp.ac.lk\/bec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}