Implementation of government policies in the construction industry: The case of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Public policy system of the construction industry of a country will reflect the country’s economic, political, social, and cultural status. In any country, especially in developing countries like Sri Lanka, the success of government policies depends on their effective implementation. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore how construction related government policies could be effectively implemented to facilitate the development of the construction industry of Sri Lanka. The study used the qualitative approach consisting of 15 expert interviews and manual content analysis was used to analyze the empirical data collected through the interviews. The findings revealed that National Policy on Construction (NPC) formulated by the National Advisory Council on Construction (NACC) is the only construction policy implemented in Sri Lanka. NPC, which contains 18 policies applicable to both public and private sectors, is found to be sufficient for the effective operation of the construction industry for the time being. However, the proper implementation of the policy could be a challenge given the nature of the country’s construction industry. The implementation of the policies gets interrupted when there are financial issues, insufficient human and technical resources, political influence, poor delegation of authority, and ineffective leadership. If the recommendations made in the study to overcome the barriers for policy implementation could be implemented, the country’s construction industry would develop rapidly.