Research Publications
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Publication Open Access Factors influencing migration intention of undergraduates in Sri Lanka: ‘About more than employment(Elsevier Ltd, 2026-01-26) Marawila, R; Weerarathna, R; Rathnayake, N; Guruge, R; Wehella, B; Udugahapattuwa, T; Weligodapola, MThe objective of this study is to examine the factors influencing Sri Lankan undergraduates' intention to migrate. Persistent economic, social, and political challenges have driven many youngsters and professionals to leave their Country of Origin (COO). The economic collapse triggered by COVID-19 further intensified this trend, leading to a sharp increase in outward migration. Recently, a growing number of Sri Lankan undergraduates and skilled professionals have expressed a strong desire to relocate abroad, often immediately after completing secondary education. For this study, a sample of 385 undergraduates from state and non-state universities across Sri Lanka was analysed. Given the national concerns of brain drain and shortages of trained and skilled workers, the study specifically focused on understanding undergraduates' aspirations to migrate. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied to identify and test the variables influencing migration intentions within the Sri Lankan context. The findings provide a holistic picture of the drivers of undergraduate migration. These carry important implications not only for students but also for policymakers and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), by informing policies and strategies that could encourage young people to realise their potential within Sri Lanka rather than abroad.Publication Open Access Ageing affecting the Americas?: exploring the growth direction: the relationship between the elderly population and economic growth in the American context(Springer Nature, 2025-02-13) Jayawardhana, T.; Jayathilaka, R; Karadanaarachchi, R.; Nimnadi, T; Anuththara, SThe main aim of this study is to explore the relationship between the elderly population and economic growth in 25 North and South American countries use annual secondary data from 1961 to 2021. Instead of focusing on the conditional mean, this study tests for Granger causality in the entire conditional distribution of the elderly population and economic growth through wavelet coherence analysis. The study fndings indicated a unidirectional Granger causality running from per capita gross domestic product (GDP) to the elderly population for Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, Peru and Puerto Rico and also from elderly population to per capita GDP for Costa Rica, Ecuador and Honduras. However, there is no causal relationship between the elderly population and economic growth for the rest of the countries. Wavelet coherence analysis depicted that economic growth positively led the elderly population in North America during the early 21st century. Furthermore, economic growth had been negatively leading the elderly population in South America throughout the period under consideration. This empirical study shows that policymakers of these economies need to analyse the transformation in the elderly population-economic growth causality robustness throughout the year when devising policiesPublication Open Access Economy and elderly population, complementary or contradictory: A crosscontinental wavelet coherence and crosscountry Granger causality study(PLOS ONE, 2023-01-26) Galappaththi, K; Jayathilaka, R; Rajamanthri, L; JayawardhanaI, T; Anuththara, C; Nimnadi, T; Karadanaarachchi, RThe aim of this study is to explore the causal relationship between the economy and the elderly population globally as well as continent-wise. This research was designed as a continent-wide study to investigate the differences between several regions simultaneously. The economy was measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita growth rate while the population aged above 65 as a percentage of the total was considered the elderly population. A panel dataset published by the World Bank for a period of six decades from 1961 to 2020 covering 84 countries was used as data for the analysis. Wavelet coherence was the methodology used for the study since it was considered suitable to present causality as well as the causal direction between the two variables for different sections during the six decades. Thereafter, Granger causality was applied for a cross-country analysis to gain further insights on the causality of individual countries over the years. Findings of the study reveal that the causality and its direction have been changing over time for most continents. Negative correlations with the leading variable interchanging with time are evident for the majority of the regions. Nevertheless, results indicate that in a global perspective, elderly population predominantly leads the economic growth with a positive correlation. Research approach allows ascertaining the short-term and medium-term changes that occurred concerning the direction of the relationship throughout the stipulated period of the study, which could not be drawn by any previous study. Even though region-wise literature is available on this topic, global studies for decades have not been conducted yet.