The Release of JMSH Vol 03 and Panel Discussion on “IMF Bailout and the Economic Future of Sri Lanka”

The third volume of the Journal of Management, Social Sciences and Humanities (JMSH) was ceremonially released on 7^th March 2023 at the Auditorium of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and concurrently an important panel discussion was held on the timely theme “IMF Bailout and the Economic Future of Sri Lanka.“

The distinguished panel comprised of renowned personalities; Prof. Shantha Devarajan – Professor of the Practice of Development, Georgetown University USA, Dr. Nishan de Mel – Executive Director Verité Research and Mr. Suresh Shah – Head of the State-owned Enterprise (SOE) Restructuring Unit. The Representatives from the High Commission of Malaysia, the Embassies of Indonesia, Norway, Japan and the USA alongside many other distinguished personalities, senior officers and academia of the university was also participated in the event. 

The panel encapsulated a broad discussion on the path for economic recovery for Sri Lanka. Professor Shantha Devarajan elaborated on what Sri Lanka needs to do in order to get assistance from IMF to overcome the current economic crisis of the country whereas Dr. Nishan de Mel emphasized the importance of maintaining good governance, accountability and transparency as a country to ensure that this will be the final time that Sri Lanka will need to depend on IMF assistance. Mr. Suresh Shah briefly stated the plan for restructuring state-owned enterprises and steps to be taken for the economic upheaval of the country. The discussion was further enriched with questions and opinions by the audience which made the panel discussion an engaging one.

Earlier in the morning, Vice Chancellor Major General Milinda Peiris delivered the welcome address and stated the significance of the journal, the relevance of the panel discussion for contemporary Sri Lanka, and the emphasis and facilities that KDU provides for research. Dr. Tamara Jayasundera, the Chief Editor of JMSH moderated the panel discussion.

With the vote of thanks delivered by the Dean of the Faculty, Mr. Kithsiri Amaratunga, the ceremony concluded with a high spirit to continue the journal in the coming years in order to disseminate cutting-edge research related to the interdisciplinary fields of Management, Social Sciences and Humanities.