Criminalisation is often understood narrowly—as something that happens after a crime, involving police, courts, and prisons. But we argue that criminalisation is not only about breaking laws; it is about how laws are written, where suspicion is cast, and which bodies are deemed out of place. A critical example of the criminalisation of poverty is Colombo’s Urban Regeneration Project (URP) of the Government of Sri Lanka and implemented by the Urban Development Authority since 2012, which reveals that criminalisation extends beyond incarceration; it includes the transformation of poor people's living environments into carceral spaces themselves.

Sri Lanka is a state party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), obligated to progressively realise rights such as adequate food, housing, health, education, and social security. Despite clear obligations, Sri Lanka’s track record shows a persistent gap between formal commitments and reality.

Hostile architecture  is unpleasant or exclusionary architecture or defensive urban design, that uses elements of the built environment to guide or restrict behaviour, particularly intending to stop people from doing something. We map Colombo's public spaces that have hostile infrastructure and do a deep dive on the topic.

A new report by CSF explores multiple dimensions of platform-based gig work in Sri Lanka, drawing on primary research since 2023 and building on previous research conducted in 2022. The report titled, 'Flexibility and Fairness in Platform Labour: Navigating Gig Work in Colombo' delves into issues not explored in the Sri Lankan context before, and provides fresh insights relevant for platform companies, worker rights organisations, international development agencies, and government institutions.

The pervasive and unpredictable nature of the ongoing trade policy developments, and the many dimensions of impacts that the resulting uncertainty causes, are important considerations for further exploration in Sri Lanka. In this new Policy Brief by CSF, we take an early look at the effects of trade policy uncertainty on Sri Lankan export-oriented firms, based on an executive opinion survey and key informant interviews.

A new CSF Policy Brief argues that private-public collaboration platforms in tourism must include members who can provide a more holistic and contemporary perspective of the industry. Plans for a new Act provide a good opportunity to rethink private sector representation in tourism bodies.