International Conference on Countering Terrorism (ICCT)

In discussing inter-linkages between terrorism and economic costs, the focus most often is on analysing the causes and consequences of terrorism. Terrorism typically creates a persistent legacy of poverty and human misery, where affected countries are subject to direct costs from damage to physical infrastructure, investor confidence, and social capital; there can also be significant costs associated with displacement of vulnerable populations. More indirectly, economic development is undermined as governments are compelled to shift resources from productive investments into defence budgets. Compounding the problem, the socio-economic costs of terrorism are rarely contained within a country’s border. At the regional level, terrorism can also create refugee crises, imposing its own economic burdens on neighbouring countries.

The Panel will discuss the socio-economic costs of terrorism, in terms of the ripple effects of terrorism within countries, as well as externally, and explore viable measures that can be taken to mitigate the negative consequences that terrorism has on economic development.

Principal Speaker:
Dr. Saman Kelegama
(Executive Director, Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka)
“Socio-Economic Costs of Terrorism”
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Chair of Panel Session :
Prof. W.D. Lakshman,
Professor of Economics, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

Discussants :
(i) Dr. Anila Dias Bandaranaike,
former Director, Department of Statistics, Central Bank of Sri Lanka
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(ii) Dr. Muthukrishna Sarvanathan,
Principal Researcher, Point Pedro Institute of Development, Sri Lanka
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