Measuring poverty - Geographical location tends to be a large predictor of poverty. For historical and political reasons, the commercial capital, Colombo,

For historical and political reasons, the commercial capital, Colombo, and adjoining cities in the Western Province tend to enjoy better institutions and provision of services and are therefore more prosperous. [...] These should be accompanied with a robust strengthening of institutions (state agencies, state programmes, governance structures etc.) to ensure equitable treatment of the populous and fair and just governance that is driven towards equality in opportunities The changing nature of work and the workplace because of automation, will require reskilling of the work force. [...] These interventions also have to be multi-pronged - addressing scarcity of the resource, equity of distribution and effective governing structures (to manage effectively and reduce conflict Location is of strategic importance to poor households as proximity to work, markets, enterprises and education form the basis of most poor households ability to earn a livelihood or gain access to skills/ educ. [...] The lack of information, weak knowledge on rights and entitlements, compounded by the lack of transparency and nonadherence of government to laws, exclusion of communities from development programmes also contributes to weak agency and voice of the poorest communities. [...] Social norms and identity in terms of caste and class play a role in marginalizing the poorest in society, which can trap them in a cycle of chronic poverty and social exclusion from which it is difficult to escape, limits opportunities to access education, employment, places of worship, public services and community life.