Centre for Policy Alternatives

Reconstitute Sri Lanka is a joint project of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and the Edinburgh Centre for Constitutional Law (ECCL) of the University of Edinburgh. Two teams of researchers in Colombo and Edinburgh work on the project, and it is directed by Dr Asanga Welikala, Senior Lecturer in Public Law at Edinburgh Law School, Associate Director of ECCL, and Senior Research Fellow at CPA.

The project undertakes research towards developing concrete legislative proposals for implementing governance reforms for irreversible democratisation in Sri Lanka. It also produces public information materials, including audio-visual social media content and training materials. This page hosts the outputs of the Reconstitute Sri Lanka project.

Books

Rohan Edrisinha and Aruni Jayakody (Eds.) (2011) The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution: Substance and Process (Colombo: Centre for Policy Alternatives)

Asanga Welikala (Ed.) (2012) The Sri Lankan Republic at 40: Reflections on Constitutional History, Theory and Practice Vols. 1 & 2 (Colombo: Centre for Policy Alternatives)

Asanga Welikala (Ed.) (2015) Reforming Sri Lankan Presidentialism: Provenance, Problems and Prospects Vols. 1 & 2 (Colombo: Centre for Policy Alternatives)

H. Kumarasingham (Ed.) (2015) Speeches and Writings of Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam (Colombo: Centre for Policy Alternatives)

H. Kumarasingham (Ed.) (2015) The Road to Temple Trees by Sir Ivor Jennings (Colombo: Centre for Policy Alternatives)

Asanga Welikala (Ed.) (2016) The Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution: Content and Context (Colombo: Centre for Policy Alternatives)

Pasan Jayasinghe, Peter Reid, and Asanga Welikala (2019) Parliament: Law, History and Practice (Colombo: Centre for Policy Alternatives)

Asanga Welikala (Ed.) (2019) Constitutional Reform and Crisis in Sri Lanka (Centre for Policy Alternatives)

Working Papers

CPA-ECCL Working Papers on Constitutional Reform

Reports & Polls

1. Devolution in the Eastern Province: Implementation of the Thirteenth Amendment and Public Perceptions, 2008 – 2010
2. Policy Brief – Devolution in the Northern Province, September 2013 – February 2015
3. Opinion Poll on Constitutional Reform, February 2016
4. A New Devolution Settlement for Sri Lanka: Proceedings and Outcomes, Conference of Provincial Councils, August 2016
5. Topline Report – Opinion Poll on Constitutional Reform, October 2016
6. Top Line Report – Opinion Poll on Constitutional Reform, March 2017
7. Report – Confidence in Democratic Governance Index, March 2024
8. A Brief Analysis of the Aragalaya, May 2023

Primers

These primers are short entry-level introductions to the core concepts of political science and constitutional law. They were prepared by Gayanthi Ranatunga.