Themes

Basic Services and Social Protection

Connections between poverty and services is integral to understanding why poor people continue to live in disparity, without being able to move completely out of poverty.

Livelihoods and Employment

Global academic and practice discussions at present are concerned about the “future of work” and the changing nature of work.

Social Cohesion and Reconciliation

The Social Cohesion and Reconciliation thematic continues CEPA’s work on poverty and conflict, with a specific focus on existing and emergent inequalities in post-war Sri Lanka.

Natural Resources, Climate and Poverty

Connections between poverty and services is integral to understanding why poor people continue to live in disparity, without being able to move completely out of poverty.

Training and Capacity Building

Research and Training and Capacity Building have a causal relationship. Both are inseparable elements in a process that supports the growth of an organization. Training is a responsibility, which is nurtured by both the trainer and trainee. Thus, the more consistent and relevant the training become the more realistic and passionate stance it achieves. The Training and Capacity building arm of CEPA offers sustained programs of training internally and externally to face the changing needs of the current socio-economic context of Sri Lanka. The specific objectives are therefore is to increase individual capacity building for research and support staff, specific training and learning programmes for researchers, short courses for the public, facilitating international student forums and engage in conducting capacity building research supporting the communication efforts of the key objectives of CEPA in poverty reduction research.

Gender and Development

The gender and development thematic cuts across every thematic area of work at CEPA. It will contribute towards ensuring that our research and resultant policy recommendations continue to be holistic, mindful and sustainable, with a conscious effort made to incorporate gender as one of the many intersections of poverty and development in addition to factors such as religion, ethnicity, caste, class and other socio-economic considerations. In a context where the emphasis on gender equality and social justice is growing, this thematic will draw from CEPAs vast experience, to lend a nuanced understanding of the gendered impacts of poverty in both new and existing areas of research and policy recommendations.

Labour Migration

Cross-border migration and its impact on nation-states is receiving an unprecedented amount of focus in public and academic discourse.