Asanka Wijesinghe is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS) with research interests in International trade, regional integration, and industrial policy. His research focuses on adjustment and distributional trade costs and trade policy impact on bilateral trade and GVC participation.
Asanka holds a BSc in Agricultural Technology and Management from the University of Peradeniya, an MS in Agribusiness and Applied Economics from North Dakota State University, and an MS and PhD in Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics from The Ohio State University.
His latest research focused on the effect of trade policy on household food security, political preference for import controls, the impact of trade policy on GVC participation and ex-ante evaluation of the impact of regional trade agreements.
EDB Trade Promotion and Market Linkages Advisory Committee
Export Development Board
Member (2026-)
Expert Committee on Strengthening Consumer Protection, Competition Promotion and Regulation of Internal Trade Under Consumer Affairs Act No 9 of 2003,
Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Co-operative Development
Member (2025-)
Cabinet Appointed Committee to Review Existing FTAs and Provide Recommendations for Future Negotiations
Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development
Member (2025-)
Technical Committee to Assist Establishment of Enterprise Sri Lanka
Presidential Secretariat
Member (June 2024-September 2024)
Research Cell for Feasibility Studies on FTAs
Presidential Secretariat
Member (April 2023-September 2023)
Working Group for the Establishment of a Productivity Commission in Sri Lanka
Presidential Secretariat
Member (February 2023-June 2023)
Senior Expert – Research Division-Trade, Strategic Affairs Division
Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka
April 2023 to September 2023
Wijesinghe, A., & Rathnayake N. (2023). Unveiling Trade Potential: An Ex-Ante Analysis of the Sri Lanka-Thailand Free Trade Agreement. Colombo: Institute of Policy of Sri Lanka.
Wijesinghe, A., Yogarajah, C. & Rathnayake N. (2023). Import Controls in Sri Lanka: Political Preference and Incentive Distortions. Colombo: Institute of Policy of Sri Lanka.
Wijesinghe, Asanka & Kaushalya, Thilani. (2022). Caloric Consumption Efficiency and Import Dependency: Evidence from Sri Lanka. Economic Analysis and Policy. DOI: http://doi.org/76. 10.1016/j.eap.2022.08.017.
Wijesinghe, A., & Yogarajah, C. (2022). Trade Policy Impact on Global Value Chain Participation of the South Asian Countries, Journal of Asian Economic Integration, vol. 4 (1), pp 24-48 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/26316846221075464
Wijesinghe, A., (2021). Chemical Fertilizer Imports and the Environment: Evidence-based Approach for a Green Economy Accounting for the Trade-off. Sri Lanka Journal of Economic Research, vol. 9 (1), pp.117–130. DOI: http://doi.org/10.4038/sljer.v9i1.158
Wijesinghe, A. (2021). Technical Efficiency of the Rice Millers under Alternative Technologies: A Case Study in Gampaha District. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/51001791/Technical_Efficiency_of_the_Rice_Millers_under_Alternative_Technologies_A_Case_Study_in_Gampaha_District
Wijesinghe, A. (2020). Retaliatory Tariff and 2018 Mid Term Election: Was there an Effect of Chinese Soybeans Tariff?, Agricultural & Applied Economics Association, Annual Meeting, Kansas City, MO.
Wijesinghe, A. (2020). Three Essays on the Impact of International Trade on US Elections. The Ohio State University.
Wijesinghe, A., & Weerahewa, J. (2017). Structure, Conduct and Performance of the Rice Milling Industry of Sri Lanka: Evidence from Selected Cases. Economic Research, vol. 4(2), pp. 71-90. DOI: http://doi.org/10.4038/sljer.v4i2.65
Wijesinghe, W. P. A. S. (2014). Effects of Environmental Regulations on South Asian Food and Agricultural Exports: A Gravity Analysis. Retrieved from https://repository.unescap.org/handle/20.500.12870/1488
Asanka Wijesinghe, Thadchaigeni Panchalingam, Buddhi Marambe & Jeevika Weerahewa. (2014). An Analysis of Trends and Determinants of Spice Trade of the World. Proceedings of the Peradeniya University International Research Sessions, Sri Lanka.
Wijesinghe, W. (2020). “The Effect of Trump’s Trade War on the 2018 Congressional Election: Did China’s Soy Tariffs Affect Republican Vote Share?” Annual Meeting of Agricultural and Applied Economic Association-USA. Virtual Conference, July 26-28, 2020.
Wijesinghe, A. (2021). Chemical Fertilizer Imports and the Environment: Evidence-based Approach for a Green Economy Accounting for the Tradeoff. Sri Lanka Journal of Economic Research, 9(1), pp.117–130.
Wijesinghe, A. (2019). “The Effect of China’s Soybean Tariff on the Republican Party’s Vote Share in the 2018 Congressional Election”. Social Science Research Network, Posted on 09 July 2021.
Wijesinghe, W.P.A.S. and Weerhewa, J. (2017). Structure, Conduct and Performance of the Rice Milling Industry of Sri Lanka: Evidence from Selected Cases. Sri Lanka Journal of Economic Research, 4(2), pp 67-86.
Wijesinghe, W.P.A.S. (2014). Effects of Environmental Regulations on South Asian Food and Agricultural Exports: A Gravity Analysis. ARTNeT Working Paper No. 139, January 2014. Bangkok: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
“Investments as a Trade Adjustment Assistance: Emerging Challenges and the Roles of RTAs”.
Workshop on Advancing Regional Trade Integration through Regional Trade Agreements in Asia and the Pacic
Organised by Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacic (ESCAP) of the United Nations
09-10 October 2023
Thailand
“Health, Nutritional and Social Impacts of Current Agricultural Practices and Trade”.
Policy-Research Interface Mediation and Enabling (PRIME) Workshop Climate Adaptation and Inclusive Development in the Agricultural Sector for South Asia
Organised by Asian Development Bank Institute, and the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research
12-16 June 2023
Nepal
‘Trade Policy in the Economic Crisis: Coverage, Impact and Reforms’
IPS In-house Seminar
31 August 2022
Panellist at ‘Trade Connectivity as a Strategic Tool: Challenges and Opportunities for the EU and Sri Lanka’
Organised by the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI) and the Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives
27 February 2022
Panelist at ‘Industrial Policy in the Age of the 4IR: South Asian Perspectives’ Trade and Sustainability Hub parallel to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Meeting
Organised by International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE)
02 December 2021
Online
‘Caloric Consumption Efficiency and Import Dependency: Evidence from Sri Lanka’ (with Thilani Kaushalya)
Conference on Rural Economic Transformation: Pathways to Inclusive and Sustainable Prosperity in Post-COVID-19 Asia
Organised by the Asian Development Bank Institute
19 November 2021
Online
Panellist on ‘Economics for the Times of Crisis: Sri Lanka’s Challenges and Opportunities’
Discussion on the Current Economic Crisis in Sri Lanka
Organised by the Sri Lanka Forum of University Economists (SLFUE)
29 October 2021
Online
‘Food Loss in Trade: A case study of South Asia using the Import Refusal Reports of the United States Food and Drug Administration’
(with Thadchaigeni Panchgalingam)
Second SANEM International Development Conference (SIDC) 2021 on COVID-19 Recovery: Contexts and Priorities
17 June 2021
Online
‘Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement: Initial framework and lessons from existing trade policy of South Asia’
Second SANEM International Development Conference (SIDC) 2021 on “COVID-19 Recovery: Contexts and Priorities”
17 June 2021
Online
Panellist on ‘Trade Connectivity as a Strategic Tool: Challenges and Opportunities for the EU and Sri Lanka’
At the Conference on EU Indo-Pacific Strategy through Sri Lanka’s Lens: Opportunities for Cooperation and Partnership
Organised by the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI) and the Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives
27 January 2022
LKI, Colombo
Download Presentation
Panellist on ‘Industrial Policy in the Age of the 4IR: South Asian Perspectives’
At the Trade and Sustainability Hub parallel to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Meeting
Organised by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE)
02 December 2021
Online
Download Presentation
Presentation on ‘Caloric Consumption Efficiency and Import Dependency: Evidence from Sri Lanka’ (with Thilani Kaushalya)
At the Conference on Rural Economic Transformation: Pathways to Inclusive and Sustainable Prosperity in Post-COVID-19 Asia
Organised by the Asian Development Bank Institute
19 November 2021
Online
Download Presentation
Panellist on ‘Economics for the Times of Crisis: Sri Lanka’s Challenges and Opportunities’
At a discussion on the Current Economic Crisis in Sri Lanka
Organised by the Sri Lanka Forum of University Economists (SLFUE)
29 October 2021
Online
Download Presentation
Presentation on ‘Food Loss in Trade: A case study of South Asia using the Import Refusal Reports of the United States Food and Drug Administration’
(with Thadchaigeni Panchgalingam)
At the Second SANEM International Development Conference (SIDC) 2021 on COVID-19 Recovery: Contexts and Priorities
17 June 2021
Online
Download Presentation
Presentation on ‘Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement: Initial framework and lessons from existing trade policy of South Asia’ at the Second SANEM International Development Conference (SIDC) 2021 on “COVID-19 Recovery: Contexts and Priorities” on 17 June 2021 held online.
Presentation on ‘The Economic Inequality and Left-Wing Populism in the US-Evidence from Democratic Primary-2016’ at the Annual Meeting of Mid-West Economic Association-USA on 22 March 2021 held online.
Sri Lanka’s Graphite: A Potential Player in the Global Electric Vehicle Revolution, Talking Economics, August 2023
Has Sri Lanka’s Crisis-driven Import Controls Incentivised Import Substitution? Talking Economics, June 2023
Overcoming Obstacles: The Economic Case for a Sri Lanka-Thailand FTA, Talking Economics, May 2023
Sri Lanka’s Food Crisis: What is the Role of Imports?, Talking Economics, June 2022
Currency Board: A Solution to Sri Lanka’s Economic Crisis, Talking Economics, March 2022
Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Economic Implications for Sri Lanka, Talking Economics, February 2022
Bangladesh – Sri Lanka Preferential Trade Agreement: Gains and Policy Challenges, Talking Economics, 20 January 2022.
GSP+ Withdrawal: How Would it Impact Sri Lanka’s Economy?, Talking Economics, 28 September 2021.
Trade in the Pandemic Era: A One-Year Assessment, Talking Economics, 02 June 2021.
Beyond Turmeric: How Import Controls are Impacting Sri Lanka’s Economy, Talking Economics, 17 March 2021.
FTAs: Are We Gaining or Giving?, The Morning, 06 February 2022.
Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Preferential Trade Agreement: Gains and Policy Challenges, Sunday Observer, 06 February 2022.
B’desh-SL Preferential Trade Agreement: Gains and Policy Challenges, Daily Mirror, 25 January 2022.
Bangladesh – Sri Lanka Preferential Trade Agreement: Gains and Policy Challenges, Ada Derana Biz, 20 January 2022.
GSP+ and Sri Lanka, What Next?, Face the Nation, TV1, 04 October 2021.
GSP+ Withdrawal: How Would it Impact Sri Lanka’s Economy?, The Island, 01 October 2021.
GSP+ Withdrawal: How Will it Impact Sri Lanka’s Economy?, Daily FT, 29 September 2021.
Sri Lanka’s Vital EU Trade Privileges Hang in the Balance, Nikkei Asia, 25 September 2021.
No-strings-attached Tariff Eliminations Key for Bangladesh-Sri Lanka FTA: IPS Researchers, Daily FT, 29 June 2021.
SL-B’desh Trade Deal Should Have No-strings-attached Tariff: IPS, Daily Mirror, 29 June 2021.
Trade in the Pandemic Era: A One-year Assessment, Sunday Observer, 20 June 2021
Trade in the Pandemic Era: A One-year Assessment, Ceylon Today, 12 June 2021
Trade in the Pandemic Era: A One-year Assessment, The Morning, 06 June 2021.
Purpose of Import Ban Going Up In Smoke? The Morning, 06 June 2021.
Trade in the Pandemic Era: A One-year Assessment, Daily FT, 03 June 2021.
Trade in the Pandemic Era: A One-year Assessment, Daily Mirror, 03 June 2021.
Trade in the Pandemic Era: A One-year Assessment, Lanka Business Online, 02 June 2021.
Beyond Turmeric: How Import Controls Affect Sri Lanka’s Economy, Daily Mirror, 18 March 2021.
Beyond Turmeric: How Import Controls are Impacting Sri Lanka’s Economy, Lanka Business Online, 17 March 2021.
Beyond Turmeric: How Import Controls Are Impacting Sri Lanka’s Economy, Ceylon Today, 20 March 2021.
Beyond Turmeric: How Import Controls Are Impacting Sri Lanka’s Economy, The Island, 22 March 2021.