Military and Poverty: A Critical Study in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Main objective of this study is to show that how military expansion in Sri Lanka contributed to achieve this macroeconomic goal, reduction of unemployment and poverty. Statistical evidences show that percentage of people, living under poverty level negatively correlated with size of military forces in time series data at 96 percent. Percentage of Singhalese majority people in districts population negatively correlated with percentage of poor in district population in cross sectional data at 59 percent.  Sri Lanka’s military expansion creates employment and income to Singhalese who are employing around 97.1 percent of security forces. Sri Lanka’s per capita military expenditure reached Rs 30.12 per day in 2012 even after ending of war. The earnings of Tamil refugees in developed countries and earnings of Sri Lankan workers in Middle East have considerable tickle down effects on poverty reduction in North and East of Sri Lanka. In this context, contribution of Samurdhi (prosperity of poor) programme in Sri Lanka is hesitant in poverty reduction.

Key words: Sri Lanka, Military, Poverty, Pork barrel ethnic politics, and conflicts & war.