Emeritus Professor
Social Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Emeritus Professor
Contact:
Select, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Nawala, Nugegoda
Office: 112881417, Ext: 2412
E-mail: sscol@ou.ac.lk sscolom@gmail.com
Prof. Sirimevan Colombage, who was the first Chair Professor of Social Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka, received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Manchester, UK in 1985 with specialization in international finance. He started his academic career at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya in 1969 as an Assistant Lecturer, having obtained a First-Class Hons. B.A. special degree in Economics with Money and Banking as the major field of study. In 1970, he was appointed an Economist in the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. He functioned as a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Finance during 1985-1989, on release from the Central Bank. From 1991 onwards, he functioned as the Director of the Departments of Economic Research, Statistics and Data Processing. He opted to give up his lucrative career in the Central Bank prematurely in 2000 to accomplish his ambition to be an academic and an independent researcher. Immediately after relinquishing the duties in the Central Bank, he undertook a research project at the University of Manchester. He was appointed Chair Professor of Social Studies in the Open University in 2002. He was promoted as the Senior Chair Professor of Social Studies in 2010. Following his retirement from the Open University in late 2011, he was appointed a Senior Fellow at the National Centre for Advanced Studies affiliated to the UGC. His research interests focus on macroeconomic policies, money and banking, fiscal operations, international trade and finance, econometric modeling and financial inclusion. He has substantial research output published in the form of refereed journal articles, books and monographs. He has functioned as the principal investigator in several international collaborative research projects, and travelled abroad extensively to participate in research forums and official meetings.
Areas of Specialization:Economics
Research interests:Macroeconomics, Monetary Policy and Central Banking, International Finance, Econometric Modeling
Affiliations:NULL
Researches:“The Potential of Using Mobile Money Systems for Financial Inclusion in Sri Lanka”, Sri Lanka Journal of Advanced Social Studies, June 2011
“Macroeconomic Effects of International Migration”. Open University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol.6, Dec. 2010
“Effectiveness of Microfinance in Reducing Rural Poverty: A Case Study of Selected Districts in Sri Lanka”, Open University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol.4, Dec. 2008
“Determinants of Inflation in Sri Lanka: An Econometric Analysis”, Open University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dec. 2006
“Trends in the Labour Market of Sri Lanka”, Sri Lanka Economic Journal, 10(1), 1995
“Payments and Monetary Cooperation in South Asia: Developments and Prospects”, South Asian Survey, 2(2), 1995
“The Monetary Approach to Balance of Payments and Other Related Issues: Empirical Evidence of Sri Lanka” Staff Studies, April/Sep. 1991, 21(2)
“Further Observations on the Velocity of Circulation of Money”, Staff Studies, April/Sept.1980
Publications:
Financial Inclusion in Sri Lanka: A Macroeconomic Perspective, Monograph No. 3, The Open University of Sri Lanka, December 2010
Microfinance as an Instrument for Small Enterprise Development: Opportunities and Constraints, Occasional Paper No.52, Twenty Third Anniversary Lecture, Centre for Banking Studies, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 26 October 2004
Is Export-led Growth a Myth?: A Critical Assessment of Twenty Five Years of Economic Liberalization in Sri Lanka, Inaugural Lecture, The Open University of Sri Lanka, 2003 Regional Cooperation for Trade and Investment Promotion in South Asia, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Colombo, 1996
Economy of Sri Lanka in the Liberalized Phase, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Colombo,1996
Payments and Monetary Cooperation in South Asia, Coordinating Group for Studies on South Asia, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Colombo, 1993
Outbound Migration from Sri Lanka: The Way Forward, Policy Brief, National Science Foundation, April 2017
“Making Growth Socially Inclusive to Benefit All”, Article submitted for Prof. Upali Vidanapathirana Felicitation Volume, OUSL, 2017
“Towards a Sane Society by Siri Hettige”, Book Review in Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences, Dec. 2016
“R&D Investment Plan Towards Knowledge Economy”, in Ten Year R&D Investment Plan, NASTEC, Ministry of Science & Technology, 2014
“Macroeconomic Framework for Water Management”, World Bank – Irrigation Department Project, 2000 “Economic Performance, Future Challenges and Policy Issues”, UNDP, Common Country Assessment, Sep. 1999
“Macroeconomic Scenario” (mimeo), Consultancy Report to National Development Bank, Colombo, 1996
“Financial Sector”, Consultancy Report to National Development Bank, Colombo, 1996
“The Use of Swap Instrument for Monetary Policy Purposes”, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 1994
“Demand for Rural Industrial Products: Country Study for Sri Lanka”, (mimeo), ILO-ARTEP, New Delhi, 1991
“The System of Foreign Exchanges”, Report on Internal Financial Resources, UNDP, Dec.1977