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Wasantha Athukorala

University of Peradeniya, Department of Economics and Statistics, Faculty Member

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Wasantha Athukoala holds a doctorate in Economics from Queensland University of Technology, Australia, a M.Phil and a B.A. (Honours) in Economics from the University of Peradeniya, where he is working as a Professor in Economics. His research mainly includes in the field of Environmental Economics, Agricultural Economics and Sustainable Development. He has published more than 35 research papers in well known international journals which include Energy Policy, Land Use Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Journal of Forest Economics, Sustainable Cities and Society, The Singapore Economic Review, Journal of Agricultural Economics, The Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Hydrogeology Journal, Energy Economics, Economic Analysis and Policy, Journal of Resources, Energy, and Development and Journal of Smart Economic Growth. He is the co-author of five text books and the author of two text books. He has published 10 book chapters and presented more than 40 research papers in national and international conferences
Phone: 0776862021
Address: No 197
Meewathura Road

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Papers by Wasantha Athukorala

Nature-based tourism in lesser known species and their implications for conservation

Impact of Agricultural Chemicals on the Environment and Human Health in Asia

Modern commercial agricultural practices in Asia during the last three to four decades involving ... more Modern commercial agricultural practices in Asia during the last three to four decades involving chemicals (fertilisers and pesticides) have been associated with large increases in food production never witnessed before, especially under the Green Revolution technology in South Asia. This also involves large-scale increases in commercial vegetable crops. However, the high reliance on chemical inputs to bring about these increases in food production is not without problems. A visible, parallel correlation between higher productivity, high artificial input use and environmental degradation and human ill-health is evident in many countries where commercial agriculture is widespread. In this chapter, we focus on the impact of chemical inputs, in particular the impact of pesticides on the environment and on human health in South Asia with special reference to Sri Lanka...

Health Benefits and Industrial Air Pollution: A Comparison between People’s Willingness to Accept and the Opportunity Cost of Health Risk

Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Economics, Dec 8, 2015

Effectiveness of two pricing structures on urban water use and conservation: a quasi-experimental investigation

Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Nov 24, 2017

Impact of agricultural chemicals on the environment and human health in Asia: Are there solutions?

Routledge eBooks, Feb 11, 2015

Modern commercial agricultural practices in Asia during the last three to four decades involving ... more Modern commercial agricultural practices in Asia during the last three to four decades involving chemicals (fertilisers and pesticides) have been associated with large increases in food production never witnessed before, especially under the Green Revolution technology in South Asia. This also involves large-scale increases in commercial vegetable crops. However, the high reliance on chemical inputs to bring about these increases in food production is not without problems. A visible, parallel correlation between higher productivity, high artificial input use and environmental degradation and human ill-health is evident in many countries where commercial agriculture is widespread. In this chapter, we focus on the impact of chemical inputs, in particular the impact of pesticides on the environment and on human health in South Asia with special reference to Sri Lanka...

Social welfare losses from groundwater over-extraction for small-scale agriculture in Sri Lanka: Environmental concern for land use

Journal of Forest Economics, Dec 1, 2017

Willingness to pay to ensure a continuous water supply with minimum restrictions

Empirical Economics, Oct 15, 2020

Groundwater overuse and farm-level technical inefficiency: evidence from Sri Lanka

Hydrogeology Journal, Jan 28, 2012

Climate change and natural disasters: Government mitigation activities and public property demand response

Land Use Policy, Mar 1, 2019

Socio-economic implications of climate change with regard to forests and forest management. Contribution of work package 3 to the forest vulnerability assessment

... with regard to forests and forest management NCCARF Synthesis and Integrative Research Progra... more

Valuing bushfire risk to homeowners: Hedonic property values study in Queensland, Australia

Economic Analysis and Policy, Sep 1, 2019

Estimating short and long-term residential demand for electricity: New evidence from Sri Lanka

Energy Economics, Sep 1, 2010

Measuring the impact of pesticide exposure on farmers’ health and farm productivity

Economic Analysis and Policy, Mar 1, 2023

Determinants of health costs due to farmers’ exposure to pesticides: an empirical analysis

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Mar 14, 2012

Education, attitudes and agricultural biodiversity: an application of randomised control method

Sri Lanka Journal of Economic Research, Jun 25, 2015

Determinants of Residential Electricity Consumption: A Comparison between Urban and Rural Households in Kandy District in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Journal of Economic Research, Jun 1, 2019

This study attempts to identify the key determinants of residential demand for electricity in rur... more This study attempts to identify the key determinants of residential demand for electricity in rural and urban households in Sri Lanka. Yearly data for 108 randomly selected households (54 from each - urban and rural) for a five years period were used for the estimation. Fixed effect model is used to determine the responsiveness of electricity consumption to its own price, differences in price, price of alternative fuel, income and variables relating to the social-economic characteristics of the household. Price elasticity and income elasticity for electricity in the urban households are estimated to be -0.38 and 0.15 while they are -0.04 and 0.14 for rural households, respectively, which confirm the previous findings, as the electricity is inelastic and a normal good. Furthermore, the estimated model demonstrates the importance of including the household level information for identifying the determinants of electricity demand, which is not possible using aggregate level data in a country.

Demand for electricity: evidence of cointegration and causality from Sri Lanka

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Jul 30, 2010

Identifying the role of agricultural extension services in improving technical efficiency in the paddy farming sector in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Journal of Economic Research, Nov 30, 2017

A GIS based spatial decision support system for analysing residential water demand: A case study in Australia

Sustainable Cities and Society, Jul 1, 2017

Distribution of benefits of irrigation induced technological changes and commodity markets : new evidence

Nature-based tourism in lesser known species and their implications for conservation

Impact of Agricultural Chemicals on the Environment and Human Health in Asia

Modern commercial agricultural practices in Asia during the last three to four decades involving ... more Modern commercial agricultural practices in Asia during the last three to four decades involving chemicals (fertilisers and pesticides) have been associated with large increases in food production never witnessed before, especially under the Green Revolution technology in South Asia. This also involves large-scale increases in commercial vegetable crops. However, the high reliance on chemical inputs to bring about these increases in food production is not without problems. A visible, parallel correlation between higher productivity, high artificial input use and environmental degradation and human ill-health is evident in many countries where commercial agriculture is widespread. In this chapter, we focus on the impact of chemical inputs, in particular the impact of pesticides on the environment and on human health in South Asia with special reference to Sri Lanka...

Health Benefits and Industrial Air Pollution: A Comparison between People’s Willingness to Accept and the Opportunity Cost of Health Risk

Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Economics, Dec 8, 2015

Effectiveness of two pricing structures on urban water use and conservation: a quasi-experimental investigation

Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Nov 24, 2017

Impact of agricultural chemicals on the environment and human health in Asia: Are there solutions?

Routledge eBooks, Feb 11, 2015

Modern commercial agricultural practices in Asia during the last three to four decades involving ... more Modern commercial agricultural practices in Asia during the last three to four decades involving chemicals (fertilisers and pesticides) have been associated with large increases in food production never witnessed before, especially under the Green Revolution technology in South Asia. This also involves large-scale increases in commercial vegetable crops. However, the high reliance on chemical inputs to bring about these increases in food production is not without problems. A visible, parallel correlation between higher productivity, high artificial input use and environmental degradation and human ill-health is evident in many countries where commercial agriculture is widespread. In this chapter, we focus on the impact of chemical inputs, in particular the impact of pesticides on the environment and on human health in South Asia with special reference to Sri Lanka...

Social welfare losses from groundwater over-extraction for small-scale agriculture in Sri Lanka: Environmental concern for land use

Journal of Forest Economics, Dec 1, 2017

Willingness to pay to ensure a continuous water supply with minimum restrictions

Empirical Economics, Oct 15, 2020

Groundwater overuse and farm-level technical inefficiency: evidence from Sri Lanka

Hydrogeology Journal, Jan 28, 2012

Climate change and natural disasters: Government mitigation activities and public property demand response

Land Use Policy, Mar 1, 2019

Socio-economic implications of climate change with regard to forests and forest management. Contribution of work package 3 to the forest vulnerability assessment

... with regard to forests and forest management NCCARF Synthesis and Integrative Research Progra... more

Valuing bushfire risk to homeowners: Hedonic property values study in Queensland, Australia

Economic Analysis and Policy, Sep 1, 2019

Estimating short and long-term residential demand for electricity: New evidence from Sri Lanka

Energy Economics, Sep 1, 2010

Measuring the impact of pesticide exposure on farmers’ health and farm productivity

Economic Analysis and Policy, Mar 1, 2023

Determinants of health costs due to farmers’ exposure to pesticides: an empirical analysis

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Mar 14, 2012

Education, attitudes and agricultural biodiversity: an application of randomised control method

Sri Lanka Journal of Economic Research, Jun 25, 2015

Determinants of Residential Electricity Consumption: A Comparison between Urban and Rural Households in Kandy District in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Journal of Economic Research, Jun 1, 2019

This study attempts to identify the key determinants of residential demand for electricity in rur... more This study attempts to identify the key determinants of residential demand for electricity in rural and urban households in Sri Lanka. Yearly data for 108 randomly selected households (54 from each - urban and rural) for a five years period were used for the estimation. Fixed effect model is used to determine the responsiveness of electricity consumption to its own price, differences in price, price of alternative fuel, income and variables relating to the social-economic characteristics of the household. Price elasticity and income elasticity for electricity in the urban households are estimated to be -0.38 and 0.15 while they are -0.04 and 0.14 for rural households, respectively, which confirm the previous findings, as the electricity is inelastic and a normal good. Furthermore, the estimated model demonstrates the importance of including the household level information for identifying the determinants of electricity demand, which is not possible using aggregate level data in a country.

Demand for electricity: evidence of cointegration and causality from Sri Lanka

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Jul 30, 2010

Identifying the role of agricultural extension services in improving technical efficiency in the paddy farming sector in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Journal of Economic Research, Nov 30, 2017

A GIS based spatial decision support system for analysing residential water demand: A case study in Australia

Sustainable Cities and Society, Jul 1, 2017

Distribution of benefits of irrigation induced technological changes and commodity markets : new evidence