The central argument in this publication, as highlighted, is that social policy needs to be seen as more than just safety nets against development failure. It also states that the challenge for Sri Lanka lies in the need “to develop a new social philosophy and a mix of social policy strategies to deal with new social and economic problems caused by rapid social and economic change.” This book has also documented how whole communities are increasingly at risk of social and economic shocks, epitomized by the Tsunami and Civic Violence, and also by many other types of situations that result in large losses of income, assets and opportunities to pursue dignified livelihoods. This paper has argued that the continuing preoccupation with conventional indicators of social development has concealed many important issues of social development in Sri Lanka. These include widespread malnutrition among children and its short-term and long-term consequences, poor quality of life of the elderly due to inadequate social protection and poverty, and persisting high school dropout rates that swell the ranks of unskilled and casual workers, many of whom fall below the poverty line.