Sri Lanka has a nascent social protection system with a range of established social assistance programmes. Yet, the shock adaptivity of the Sri Lankan social protection system is rather limited. Response efforts for weather-related shocks frequently experienced by the country are often ad-hoc and not facilitated through the existing social protection programmes. In terms of labour markets, Sri Lanka’s programmes remain limited in scope and coverage. Overall, there is scope for significant improvements in the efficiency of social protection expenditure. In such a context, this study aims to identify policy recommendations to improve the efficiency of public expenditure in social protection in Sri Lanka, with a particular focus on programmes that promote labour market outcomes and protect against shocks.
