Harsha de Silva, Ph.D.

Lead Economist

Harsha de Silva, Ph.D., is Lead Economist at LIRNEasia. He focuses on economic reforms that will improve the provision of infrastructure to the hundreds of millions of poor in developing Asia and on improving the value of such access at the grassroots. Besides advising on the economics-related issues in all work undertaken by LIRNEasia, he is deeply involved in a unique six-country study that is studying reforms in the telecom infrastructure sector from a supply side perspective and the use and affordability of services by the poor from a demand side perspective. At the use level, Harsha has a profound interest in ICT for development in agriculture and is a pioneer in the field in Sri Lanka. Harsha also teaches economics of infrastructure at the MBA program at the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka and consults with the ADB, USAID and UNESCAP on economics of rural infrastructure.

Harsha started his career as Chief Economist and Treasurer of Sri Lanka’s premier development bank; DFCC Bank, and thereafter co-founded and built what is today Sri Lanka’s largest market and media research agency; AC Nielsen Lanka, as its Joint Managing Director. Thereafter he worked in Government for a short period on economic reforms during 2002 and 2004 during which time he was a key contributor to e-Sri Lanka’s telecentre project to take information technology to rural areas. He has been a member of the Economic Affairs Subcommittee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce for over 10 years and is also a member of its Power and Energy subcommittee. He also served on the Hon. Prime Minister’s Committee on Globalization, Trade Development and International Economic Policy in 2002 and on the Board of the Consumer Affairs Authority in 2003-2004.

As a charter member of the Rotary Club of Colombo Regency, Harsha took personal responsibility for designing and developing a community of 15 homes for victims of the 2004 tsunami. He also serves on the Board of management of ‘Sahanaya’; Sri Lanka’s National Council on Mental Health and is on the Board of Governors of ‘Saukyadhana’ a private voluntary organization that provides medical assistance to the poor.

Besides the above, Harsha is actively involved in creating a dialogue on economics in the public domain through his weekly prime time television show [since January 2006] which currently enjoys the highest ratings for any such show on Sri Lanka.

Harsha holds a PhD in economics from the University of Missouri, Columbia and has completed executive training at the Poverty Action Lab at MIT.

Last but not least, Harsha is a determined golfer still trying to break 90!

Click here to download the detailed version of CV

Kategorie: General, Aktualisiert am 5/13/2008 von zzainudeen | Log in