Digital Governance and Algorithmic Justice in Post-Conflict Sri Lanka: Technological Implications for Ethnic and Land Dispute Resolution

Abstract

Sri Lanka’s post-conflict governance landscape, particularly in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, remains deeply influenced by unresolved consequences of nearly three decades of civil war. Despite the cessation of armed hostilities in 2009, persistent ethnic tensions, contested land ownership, prolonged displacement, and uneven development outcomes continue to shape post-war administration. Land disputes remain among the most destabilizing challenges, disproportionately affecting Tamil and Muslim communities that experienced displacement, secondary occupation of land, loss of documentation, and militarized land administration during and after the conflict. This study critically examines the potential of digital governance and algorithmic justice to improve ethnic and land dispute resolution in post-conflict Sri Lanka. Using a mixed-methods design that integrates qualitative, spatial, and institutional analyses, the study draws on interviews, surveys, government land records, policy documents, administrative case files, GIS mapping, satellite imagery, and algorithmic decision-support tools. The findings indicate that algorithmic and digital governance mechanisms can improve transparency, consistency, procedural fairness, and administrative efficiency when implemented as hybrid systems supported by human oversight, participatory consultation, legal safeguards, and continuous bias monitoring. The study concludes that algorithmic justice is not a substitute for human judgment, but a strategic instrument for strengthening institutional capacity, reducing procedural arbitrariness, and supporting post-conflict reconciliation and social cohesion.