The IMF recently called on Sri Lanka to increase government spending on education and healthcare saying it would lead to increased labour productivity.

However for a government under real pressure, increasing public spending is a brave decision…. and a signifiant act of faith.

Will it really increase productivity? And when? And by how much? And is this a better investment than spending or, say, infrastructure or technology?

Who would be a public policy director? The best you can do is to get it ‘least wrong’.