Senior Professor
Social Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
NULL
Contact:
CRC, 01st Floor, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences Buillding
Office: 112881436, Ext: 2401 Mobile: NULL
E-mail: uvida@ou.ac.lk NULL
Senior Professor in Economics
Last Updated on 11 months
Areas of Specialization:Development Economics
Research interests:Poverty Reduction, Educational Development, Economic Reforms
Affiliations:NULL
Programme Coordination:Development Economics
Course Coordination:Development Economics
Awards:NULL
Researches:
‘Water management practices in the Vavuniya district- problems and prospects’, Annual Sessions, SLAAS, 1980
‘The effects of institutional credit arrangements on income inequality in the peasant economy’, Annual Sessions, SLAAS, 1981
‘Impact of farm structures and related problems on agricultural operations in the paddy growing areas of the Galle district’, Annual Sessions, SLAAS, 1982
‘Some issues in economics of peasant farming in the new settlements: A study of two villages in the Galnewa region’, Annual Sessions, SLAAS, 1983
‘Structure and potential of non formal credit sources in the Galnewa region-a case study’, Annual Sessions, SLAAS, 1984
‘Market responsiveness of chilli producers in the Mahaweli economy’, Annual Sessions, SLAAS, 1986
“Marketing of banking Services: new trends in service marketing” at the Rural Sector Staff Training College, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 1983.
‘Project report on dairy development for rural people’, College of Agricultural Banking, India 1984
‘An evaluation of performance of informal financial market in the Mahaweli economy: a case study’, Mahaweli Symposium, SLAAS, 1985.
‘Report on training and research in agricultural banking in Sri Lanka’, National Institute of Bank Management, India 1986
‘A review paper on monitoring and evaluation of agricultural credit to the rural sector’ – M & E Workshop, sponsored by ARTI/SIDA (1988).
‘Enhancing employment and production generation through the cooperative sector’, IRDP Workshop on Employment and Production Generation sponsored by ILO/SIDA (1987).
‘A case in favour of humanizing social science programmes in distance open learning’ Asian Association of Open Universities, Annual Conference, Colombo, 1991
‘An alternative institutional strategy for slum improvements: some lessons from urban TCCSS in Colombo’, Annual Sessions, SLAAS, 1991.
‘Responsiveness of peasant farmers towards institutional credit arrangements: A case study of the Matale district’, Study Papers, 1980. A People’s Bank Publication.
“Social equity and institutional credit operations”, Economic Reviews, Vol. 8, February 1982
‘A Study of the People’s Bank’s crop cultivation financing in the Mahaweli “H” area’, Study Papers, 1984; A People’s Bank Publication
“Stirring up to the hornet’s nest: the background to the crash of finance houses in Sri Lanka”, Economic Review, Vol. 14, July 1988.
“Exploring investment potential in the rural areas: whither cooperative rural banks”, Economic Review, Vol. 14, November 1989.
Economy of Sri Lanka: Structure and Analysis, Vol. 2 Co-authored (ISBN 955-23-0682-5), the Open University of Sri Lanka (1997).
Development Economics. Vol. 1 Co-authored, The Open University of Sri Lanka (2000).
Environmental Economics. Co-authored, The Open University of Sri Lanka (2000)
‘Employability and expectations of university students- A cross faculty comparison of attributes” (December 2000) Annual Sessions, SLAAS, Colombo
“Delivery and program administration of the Bachelor of Arts degree in social sciences of the Open University of Sri Lanka: assessment of service quality.” OUSL Journal, 2001
‘The unemployment mismatch-a study of unemployment among educated youth in Sri Lanka’, Publication of the Youth Employment Planning Division, Ministry of Youth Affairs, 2001
“Equality of access to social science education at foundation levels: the OUSL experience”, XV AAOU Annual Conference, New Delhi (February, 2002).
“The nexus between poverty and indebtedness in peasant villages: a study of two villages in the Huruluwewa watershed of the NCP of Sri Lanka.” Vistas- Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, The Open University of Sri Lanka (2002).
‘The concept of credit rating and its applications: a case of divergence of definitions and interpretations among academics of the faculty of humanities and social sciences’ (With S.N. Morais) Annual Academic Sessions, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, The Open University of Sri Lanka (2002).
‘Widening access to open distance learning: a case study of women learners in the foundation course in social sciences of the open university of Sri Lanka’ Pan Commonwealth Conference on Distance Learning, Durban, South Africa (2002).
‘The Nature and Impact of Social Capital on Economic Mobility: A case Study of Tea Small Holders in the Southern Sri Lanka’ Annual Sessions Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Sciences, Colombo. (December, 2002)
‘Vegetable Cultivation in the Hill Slopes: Context of Vulnerability and Coping Strategies of Small Holders in Thalawakelle’ (with A. S. Chandrabose), Annual Academic Sessions, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, The Open University of Sri Lanka, (July 2003).
‘Factors affecting Attrition among Distance Learners: Findings of Panel Studies on Learner Behavior of the Foundation Students During year 2000-2002’,. Annual Academic Sessions, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, The Open University of Sri Lanka, (July, 2003)
‘Poverty Status and Patterns of Economic Mobility: Why do Peasant Households Remain Poor in the Villages of the Hambantota District (2003). Vistas – Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, The Open University of Sri Lanka.
‘The Future of Paddy Farming, Its Challenges and Constraints: A Case Study of Small Farmers in the Hambantota District’ (2003), Economic Review, 23/8, Colombo.
‘Implications of Social Capital on Learner Behaviour in Open Distance Learning: The Case of the Open University of Sri Lanka’, (2003), 17th AAOU Annual Conference, 12-14 November, 2003, Bangkok, Thailand.
‘Transiting from Prolonged Conflict to Post Conflict Development: Locating the Case of the Trincomalee District of Sri Lanka’,(2005), Co-Authored, Journal of Peace and Democracy in South Asia, 1/1, Malaysia.
‘Some Critical Aspects of Managing Geographic Distance through the Center Network: Experience of the Open University of Sri Lanka’,(2003), Co-authored, Annual Academic Sessions, The Open University of Sri Lanka.
How poor are the poor? An investigation into the incidence of human poverty in drought stricken areas of the Hambantota District’,(2003), Annual Sessions , Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Sciences, Colombo.
‘Where prevention fails cure becomes painful: Perceptions on Vulnerability and Exclusions among the peasantry of the Hambantota District’, The 4th Annual Poverty Symposium on Poverty Research in Sri Lanka, 23rd to 25th November, (2003), Colombo
‘Processes and Experiences of Open Distance Learning: the Case of the Open University of Sri Lanka’, (2003), Consortium Meeting of the Commonwealth Master of Business Administration, Ministry of Tertiary Education, Mauritius.
“Perceptions of Vulnerability and Exclusion among the Peasantry: A Case Study of three Villages in the Hambantota District”. (2005), Sri Lanka Social Science Journal
‘Learner Networking and Distance Learner Networking: Experience of the Open University of Sri Lanka’, 3rd Pan Commonwealth Forum, Dunedin, New Zealand, June 2004.
‘Poverty Status and Patterns of Economic Mobility: A Study of a Few Villages of the Lunugamwehera Divisional Secretariat Area in the District of Hambantota’ Research Monograph, National Science Foundation, September, 2004
“Drivers of Poverty and Vulnerability: An Account of the Degrading conditions of well-being of the People in the Poverty Stricken Areas in Hambantota”, Annual Academic Sessions, Faculties of Education and Humanities and Social Sciences’, The Open University, Nugegoda, December, 2004
‘An Evaluation of Students’ Perceptions of Student Support Services (SSS) in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences’ (2005), Silver Jubilee Academic Sessions, The Open University, November 2005
‘Non-plantation agriculture, poverty and prospects for crop diversification: the socioeconomic impact of banana cultivation in Hambantota district’ (2006) 62nd Annual Sessions of Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, Colombo.
‘Peasant Farming in Semi Arid Areas: Vulnerability and Coping strategies’ (2006) 62nd Annual Sessions of Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, Colombo.
‘Making sense of the Language Barrier; The Case of BA Social Science Students Recruited under the Relaxed Scheme of Admission in 2003’ (2006) Paper presented at the Annual Sessions of the OUSL, Colombo
‘Economic Liberalization and its Impact on Social Well Being: An Analysis of the proximate Determinants of Poverty (2007) Paper; Presented at the Annual session of the OUSL, Colombo.
‘Emerging income inequality and widening economic divide: The case of Sri Lanka 1977-2006’ (2007) Paper presented at the International Conference on Trade in Beijing, China.
The Incidence of Poverty Trap in the Rural Sector: An Investigation into the persistence of Poverty’ (2007) Paper presented at the 63 Annual Sessions of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, Colombo.
“Changing Contours of the Economic Divide in Sri Lanka: The Post–Liberalization Experience 1977-2004’. (2008) Conference on Humanities and Social Science, National Centre for Advance Studies of the University Grants Commission, Colombo
“Irresponsible Behaviour of Factory Workers at Koggala and Biyagama IPZs: Facts and Fantasies” (2008) OUSL Annual Academic Sessions. The Open University of Sri Lanka, Colombo
“The Impact of Language Proficiency on Performance of Learners Following the BA Degree Programme in Social Sciences: Revisiting the Results of 2007/08 Batch”, (2008) OUSL Annual Academic Sessions. The Open University of Sri Lanka, Colombo
“Explaining Why Poverty Persists in the Rural Hinterland: How Useful is the ‘Poverty Trap Framework?” (2008) Economic Review, January, 2009.
Inflation-Poverty Nexus: What do Sri Lankan data say?” (2009), Economic Review, January, 2009.
“Does the ‘Poverty Trap Framework’ Explain Why Poverty Persists in the Rural Hinterland: The Case of Remote Villages in the District of Hambantota?” (2009) Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Colombo.
“The Incidence of Poverty in Sri Lanka: Revisiting Its Patterns and Trends” (2009) Professor FR Jayasuriya Felicitation Volume, University of Kelaniya.
“Revisiting Unemployment trends in Sri Lanka: What? Where? How? “, Public Lecture, Monthly Lecture Series, Section F, (October, 2008) Sri Lanka Association of Advancement of Science, Colombo
awards a Viable Conceptual Framework in Making Sense of Suicides among Sri Lankan Farmers”, Joint paper with Harini Amarasuriya, Anton Piyaratne and Purnima Perera (2009), Annual Academic Sessions, 15-16 October, 2009, The Open University of Sri Lanka.
Suicides in Agrarian Communities in Sri Lanka: a Review of Socio-ecological Perspective”, Joint paper with Harini Amarasuriya, Anton Piyaratne and Purnima Perera (2009), Annual Academic Sessions, 15-16 October, 2009, The Open University of Sri Lanka.
“Why do People Attempt Suicides in Agricultural Communities? The Case of Sri Lanka.”, Joint paper with Harini Amarasuriya, Anton Piyaratne and Purnima Perera (2009), Annual Academic Sessions, 15-16 October, 2009, The Open University of Sri Lanka.
“An Evaluation of Learners’ Perception of Student Support Services (SSS) in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences”, Co-Authored, OUSL Journal, Volume 5, 2009.
“Medium of Instruction, Language Proficiency and Learner profiles: Impact of English Proficiency on the Performance of Learners Following the B A Degree in Social Sciences”, Co-Authored, OUSL Journal, Volume 5, 2009.
Impact of Language Barriers on the Progress of Learners Following the BA Degree Programme: A Study on Access, Equity and Diversity, (2009), Monograph Series, No 1, Open University of Sri Lanka.
“Economic Development in a Changing Landscape” in Vision 2020 –The Way Forward (2010), The Organization of Professional Associations Publication; Colombo.
“Envisioning the Future: Challenges, Aspirations and Opportunities” (2010), Open University of Sri Lanka 1980-2010, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Colombo.
“Creating Knowledge Communities through Open Distance Learning: Enhancing Access. Equity and Excellence in Higher Education” Professor Sirisena Tilakaratna Memorial Oration, December 2010,
6.68 “An Investigative Study on Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) to Address Operational Problems at the Open University of Sri Lanka, in Open and Distance Learning in the 21st Century- Challenges and Possibilities (ed) Sudatta Ranasingha 2011, OUSL, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Critical Assessment of the Brand Strategy of the OUSL: Unraveling the Flaws, Causes and Issues” (2011) Annual Academic Sessions 2011, Open University of Sri Lanka, September 2011.
Ethics and Moral Codes and Academic Accountability: whither professionalism?” (October, 2011), Keynote Speech of the Annual Sessions of the Sri Lanka Association for Advancement of Education, Colombo.
The Open University of Sri Lanka’s Institutional Policies and Strategies towards Effective Use of Open Educational Resources (September, 2012), Joint Paper presented at the International on OER Conference, Wawasan University, Malaysia.
Knowledge Generation in a Knowledge Driven Economy: The Role of Open Distance Learning’ (2012), Annual Sessions, Royal Asiatic Society, Sri Lanka, Colombo.
Why the old model of university education is archaic? Challenges to policy planers and university academics’ (2012) Annual Sessions, Royal Asiatic Society, Sri Lanka, Colombo
‘Knowledge Workers and Knowledge Economies: Bridging Gaps and Finding Pathways’ (2012), Felicitation Volume of Professor Dannie Attapattu, University of Ruhuna, Forthcoming.
‘An Inquiry into the Changing Poverty Landscape in Rural Sri Lanka: Nexus Between Public Policy and Social Well-being’ (2012) Sri Lanka Economic Journal,
Ongoing Research:
Farmer Suicide
Research Supervisions:NULL
Publications:NULL