IPS Staff IPS Staff
You’re here: IPS Home > Staff > Ganga Tilakaratna
 Advisory Work
 Publications
 Reports
 Presentations
 

Ganga Tilakaratna

Ganga Tilakaratna is currently a Research Economist and Head of Poverty and Social Welfare Policy research at the IPS. Since joining the IPS in 2001, her key research interests have been in the areas of poverty impact assessment, social security and microfinance where she has carried out a number of projects and national level surveys funded by various multilateral and bilateral organizations. She led a team of researchers in successfully securing a major research grant examining issues related to the microfinance sector in Sri Lanka, implemented by the Ministry of Finance, Sri Lanka, in collaboration with the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ).

Ganga Tilakaratna has obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in ‘Universalizing Socio-Economic Security for the Poor’ from the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands and has received training from the Boulder Microfinance Program in Italy. She is also a member of the Poverty and Economic Policy (PEP) Research Network funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.

  
 

Ganga Tilakaratna holds a BA (Hons.) in Economics from the University of Manchester, UK and an M.Phil in Economics from the University of Cambridge, UK. She is currently reading for a PhD in Economics at the University of Manchester, UK.

 
 
 

Advisory Work

Government of Sri Lanka

  • Advisory Committee for the GOSL-UNDESA Project on Capacity Building in Social Impact Assessment in Sri Lanka
    Member of the Committee
    Presidential Secretariat
    May-July 2003

International Organizations

  • Poverty Reduction and Economic Growth Group (PREGG), Sri Lanka
    Member
    United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
    May 2003 –March 2005

Recent Publications

  • “Economic and Political Empowerment of the Poor: Country Studies of Sri Lanka” (with P. Samaratunga), South Asia Center for Policy Studies (SACEPS), Paper No. 9, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2006.
    (http://www.saceps.org/paper9.htm)
  • “Annotated Bibliography on Microfinance in Sri Lanka” (with A. Galappattige and T. Kumara), Poverty and Social Welfare Series No. 8, IPS, Colombo, 2006.
  • “Microfinance in Sri Lanka: A Household Level Analysis of Outreach and Impact on Poverty” (with U. Wickremasinghe and T. Kumara), Poverty and Social Welfare Series No. 7, IPS Colombo, 2005.

  • “Impact of Trade Liberalization on Poverty and Household Welfare in Sri Lanka” (with S. Jayanetti), Poverty and Social Welfare Series No. 6, IPS, Colombo, 2005.
  • “Macroeconomic Policy Choices for Growth and Poverty Reduction: The Impact of Trade Liberalization on Poverty in Sri Lanka” (with S. Jayanetti), North- South Institute (NSI), Canada, 2005 (http://www.nsi-ins.ca)
  • Review: “Our Future Our Responsibility: Road Map towards a Poverty Free South Asia”, Report of the Independent South Asian Commission on Poverty Alleviation (ISACPA, 2003), Sri Lanka Economic Journal, Vol. 5, No.2., 2004.
  • Review: “Human Development in South Asia 2001- Globalization and Human Development”, Report by the Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Center, South Asia Economic Journal, Vol.4, No.1, 2003.

Recent Reports

  • “Economic Growth, Employment and Poverty Reduction in Sri Lanka”, prepared for and funded by International Labour Organization (ILO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2006.
  • “Background Country Report for the Preparation of the SAARC Development Goals (SDGs): Sri Lanka” prepared for and funded by South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretariat, Nepal, 2004

Recent Presentations

  • Economic Growth, Employment and Poverty Reduction in Sri Lanka
    “Employment Generation for Poverty Reduction in Sri Lanka” jointly organized by the ILO and UNDP
    Colombo, Sri Lanka
    26 September, 2006
  • Upgrading Educational Opportunities for the Poor in Sri Lanka
    “Addressing Inequality: Policies for Inclusive Development”
    Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
    11-12 July, 2005
  • Microfinance in Sri Lanka: A Household Level Analysis of Outreach and Impact on Poverty
    “Fourth Annual Conference on Poverty and Economic Policy”
    Colombo, Sri Lanka
    13-17 June, 2005
  • Trade Policy Reforms for Growth and Poverty Reduction in Sri Lanka
    “Economic Policy Choices for Poverty Reduction” organized by the North South Institute, Canada
    Wilton Park, Sussex, U.K.
    10-14 June, 2004
  • Looking at Poverty in the SAARC Region: Current Status and Challenges
    “Poverty in South Asia” organized by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE),
    Islamabad, Pakistan
    9 December, 2003