The Reconstitute Sri Lanka Project

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

This series was first launched as the ‘CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform’ in 2016 as part of the partnership between the Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Edinburgh Centre for Constitutional Law in support of the process through the Steering Committee and Constitutional Assembly of the Parliament of Sri Lanka for the drafting of a new constitution to replace the 1978 Constitution. The series sought to add key theoretical and comparative perspectives to current debates on constitutional law and practice, with the intention of both assisting choices within the official process as well as to engender critical and informed discussion more widely. Working Papers Nos.1 to 18 were produced between June 2016 and April 2017 in this first phase of the series.

The series is relaunched in 2021 as the ‘CPA-ECCL Working Papers on Constitutional Reform’. The focus of the new series, which will be wider than in the first phase, will be on all aspects of foundational, normative, institutional, and cultural reforms needed for constitutional democratisation in Sri Lanka.

Asanga Welikala, THE SRI LANKAN CONCEPTION OF THE UNITARY STATE: THEORY, PRACTICE, AND HISTORY, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No 1, June 2016
Michael Mendis and Asanga Welikala, RESHAPING THE EXECUTIVE: CHOOSING THE PRIME MINISTER IN A PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No 2, June 2016
Benjamin Schonthal and Asanga Welikala, BUDDHISM AND THE REGULATION OF RELIGION IN THE NEW CONSTITUTION: PAST DEBATES, PRESENT CHALLENGES, AND FUTURE OPTIONS, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No 3, July 2016
Asanga Welikala and Harshan Kumarasingham, SOULBURY PLUS: CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS AND INSTITUTIONAL FEATURES OF A PARLIAMENTARY-CONSTITUTIONAL STATE, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No 4, August 2016
Asanga Welikala, STATES OF EMERGENCY: ISSUES FOR CONSTITUTIONAL DESIGN, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No 5, August 2016
Michael Mendis, DIALOGUE OVER DOMINANCE: ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON SRI LANKA’S FUTURE BILL OF RIGHTS, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No. 6, September 2016
Mario Gomez, Conor Hartnett and Dinesha Samararatne, CONSTITUTIONALISING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS IN SRI LANKA, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No. 7, September 2016
Rohan Edrisinha and Asanga Welikala, CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS IN THE SRI LANKAN CONSTITUTION AND LAW: MAKING THE NEW CONSTITUTION IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE ICCPR, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No. 8, November 2016
Gehan Gunatilleke, A RIGHTS BASED APPROACH TO LIMITATION CLAUSES IN THE SRI LANKAN CONSTITUTION, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No. 9, November 2016
Asanga Welikala, DEVOLUTION UNDER THE THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT: EXTENT, LIMITS, AND AVENUES FOR REFORM, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No. 10, November 2016
Daniel Antonio García-Huerta, A CONSTITUTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: BETWEEN ABSTRACT PRINCIPLES AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No. 11, January 2017
Asanga Welikala, THE CASE AGAINST CONSTITUTIONALISING JUSTICIABLE SOCIOECONOMIC RIGHTS IN SRI LANKA, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No. 12, January 2017
Dr Nihal Jayawickrama, ESTABLISHING A CONSTITUTIONAL COURT THE IMPEDIMENTS AHEAD, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No. 13, January 2017
Asanga Welikala, THE IDEA OF CONSTITUTIONAL INCREMENTALISM, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No. 14, January 2017
Tom Gerald Daly, A CONSTITUTIONAL COURT FOR SRI LANKA? PERCEPTIONS, POTENTIAL & PITFALLS, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No. 15, April 2017
Kåre Vollan and Luwie Ganeshathasan, A SYSTEM OF ELECTORAL REPRESENTATION FOR SRI LANKA: THE PRINCIPLES BEHIND THE CHOICE, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No. 16, April 2017
Doctrine of Necessity: Stumbling Against the Same Stone in Pakistan – A Mistake Not to be Emulated in Sri Lanka, (Dr) Jayampathy Wickramaratne, President’s Counsel
Rohan Edrisinha, REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY AND THE ROLE OF THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No. 17, April 2017
Asanga Welikala, ‘SPECIALIST IN OMNISCIENCE’? NATIONALISM, CONSTITUTIONALISM AND SIR IVOR JENNINGS’ ENGAGEMENT WITH CEYLON, CPA Working Papers on Constitutional Reform No. 18, April 2017

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.