Pass-Through of External Shocks to Inflation in Sri Lanka

This paper investigates pass-through of external shocks (exchange rate, oil price, and import price shocks) to inflation in Sri Lanka. The analysis is based on a vector autoregression (VAR) model that incorporates a distribution chain of pricing. The paper finds low and incomplete pass-through of external shocks to consumer inflation, reflecting a combination of factors including the existence of administered prices, high content of food in the consumption basket, and low persistence and volatility of the exchange rate. External shocks explain about 25 percent of the variation in consumer price inflation, reflecting room for domestic policies in controlling inflation.