The relevance of manpower planning in South East Asian economies to achieve higher productivity and social development

Abstract

Sri Lanka was granted independence from British Colonial rule, on 4th February, 1948. The first important political change after independence resulted in the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) with socialist policies being elected to power. Fundamental social and economic changes were introduced with the nationalisation of public transport, port and insurance. Thereafter the country more or less alternately elected right wing and left of center government with their respective economic policies swinging from one extreme to the other being influenced by their political ideologies. The result was a lack of continuity of economic policies and no strategic direction established in the overall management of the economy.