Privatisation of Public Data: Sri Lanka Customs as a Case in Point

International trade data is a public good. Yet, SLC’s data dissemination policy is currently at odds with seeing the trade data it collects as a public good.

This Insight finds that a key reason for SLC’s resistance to provide free online access to trade data is the prevailing incentive structure within the SLC. This incentive structure acts as a disincentive to provide online access to trade data free of charge.