Sri Lanka: A Rationale for Five Year Economic Planning
In the absence of proper targets, estimates and strategies, the economic policies in Sri Lanka appear to be haphazard and even ideological. Instead, we should be more pragmatic.
“Democratic planning requires full consumers’ sovereignty, as distinguished from the narrower concept of ‘consumers’ free choice.” – Carl Landauer
(April 5, 2017m, Sydney, Sri Lanka Guardian) Despite India’s replacement of the National Planning Commission with more ad hoc NITI Aayog (National Institute for Transforming India), India along with China will stand as good examples for the benefits of economic planning in a developing country. India was supposed to complete its 12th Five Year Plan this year, and China initiated its 13th Five Year Plan last year. India’s recent decision under neoliberalism might go in history as a mistake.
It is true that economic plans themselves would not reap results, however superb they would be on paper.