‘Diplomacity’ in the 21st century: why Sri Lanka’s local mayors must become global players

Rapti Ratnayake makes the case for why Sri Lanka should pursue ‘diplomacity’, where mayors and municipal leaders take a more active role in foreign policy by forging collaborative partnerships with other cities. She writes that if Colombo is to achieve its aspiration of becoming a globally competitive metropolis, embracing the opportunities afforded by paradiplomacy will be essential

Portfolio Structuring Model for Urban Infrastructure Investments

The objective of this work is to propose a new methodology based on the concept of portfolio structuring for urban infrastructure investment. We argue that city investments need to be treated as an integrated and interdependent entity and from this perspective, the portfolio methodology is proposed in order to assess the non-financial impacts of infrastructure projects and then combine them in a portfolio of investments from a financial perspective. The methodology is applied for a set of project under the EIB JESSICA Initiative. The methodology shows that not only is it possible to develop a practical decision support system to assist stakeholders in assessing the performance of individual urban infrastructure projects, but also how it is possible to combine projects into a portfolio. The method exceeds the simple analysis of returns of individual investment schemes and capitalizes on effective and integrated management of projects/investment. And this is the key to devising a focused response which will enable therefore cities to be globally competitive, via innovative financial and business models

Micropolar Fluid Through a Porous Medium Bounded by a Porous Plate

An analysis of the steady two-dimensional boundary layer flow of a micropolar fluid through a porous medium bounded by a porous plate by using a generalized Darcy’s law is considered. Numerical solution for velocity field has been derived and the effect parameter of the problem is discussed

War, migration and modernity: The micro-politics of the Hijab in Northeastern Sri Lanka

Since 2009, Sri Lanka's formative post-war years have increasingly been coloured by the intensification of militant Sinhala-Buddhist movements. In particular, the popularisation of costumes such as the abaya and variants of the hijab were often instrumentalised as a discursive battlefield, in agitating against what was framed as constituting a rising tide in Middle Eastern Islamic radicalism. This paper reveals how majoritarian ethno-nationalist discourses have served to erase or flatten nuances with respect to ongoing "veiling" practices. In particular, it explores how diverse women articulate motivations governing their more recent adoption of the abaya in the context of radicalised social othering. With its focus on the conflict-affected northeast that is home to a significant number of Sri Lanka's "east coast Muslims", the study draws upon diverse costuming practices as a lens to interrogate the gendered politics of ethno-religious difference and post-war nationhood. It reveals how socio-economic and political transformations during wartime, coupled with experiences of transnational labour migration and the democratisation of women's formal education, lent the abaya a multiplicity of symbolic meanings and quotidian practices, which at times were seen to transcend faith-based sensibilities. It is argued that while meanings around spiritual piety and socio-moral propriety are often presented as a false dichotomy in expressing motivations around veiling, their conceptual distinctions remain compellingly real and are often tactically invoked by diverse women in negotiating the intensely militarised, class and gender-stratified spaces of the northeast. The paper draws upon ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the District of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka during the first quarter of 2013

School Climate as an Important Component in School Effectiveness

Expectations, values, faith, relationships with staff, the school leader, teachers and students behavior create school climate. The leader can promote or hinder a positive climate through his leadership model. The purpose of this study is to explore what are the climate types that appear in the school as well as to contribute to the expectations of different stakeholders on the school climate. The starting point for improving the performance of students and teachers is to improve school climate. Thus, this study will help leaders who for one reason or another have not been effective in keeping their responsibilities, and, as a result, did not work efficiently in improving school climate. It is assumed that a positive school climate enhances effective teaching, and as a result a better performance of student learning. This study will serve to further studies related to the expansion of the leaders’ roles on school climate. In conclusion, the research will assist policy makers in Albania to assess the content of the modules needed for training future managers and teachers to ensure they are equipped with the skills required to create a positive, open and collaborative climate in school. The school leader should be released from some managerial tasks, for paying more time to teachers and students