The policies of the Sri Lankan state since the late 1970s
have seen a widening gap between its neo-liberal
foundations and its attempts to claim popular
legitimacy, and this structure of politics seems set to
persist. This paper argues that the tension between
neo-liberalism and populism is articulated in the
disparity between the island’s urban and rural areas, and
vice versa. This defines contradictory aspects of the Sri
Lankan state as we understand its appeal to different
constituencies, both the new urban middle classes and
increasingly impoverished small farmers. Instead of
looking at how neo-liberalism deploys populism to
garner mass support, the study examines the messy
consequences of the ways in which populism attempts
to manage the effects of neo-liberalism, manifest
primarily in the increasing immiseration of the masses.