| Post-Keynesian economics | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1935 Colombo, Ceylon |
| Died | 2004 Colombo, Ceylon |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Institution | World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER) |
| Field | Development economics, free trade |
| Alma mater | King's College, Cambridge Royal College, Colombo |
| Influenced | Nicholas Kaldor |
Lal R. Jayawardena (Sinhala:ලාල් ජයවර්ධන) (1935 - 2004) was a noted Sri Lankan economist and diplomat. He was the first director of the World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER) (1985 - 1993) and Sri Lankan Treasury Secretary in the 1970s. Jayawardena had served as Sri Lankan Ambassador to the EEC, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands (1978-82) and Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland (1999-2000). He was an Economic Adviser to the Sri Lankan President and Deputy Chairman of the Sri Lankan National Development Council.[1]
As the Treasury Secretary, he was also the was instrumental in the reform package that opened up the Sri Lanka economy in the mid-1970s and he chaired a study group on Indo-Sri Lanka Economic Cooperation, whose final report of formed the basis of the Indo-Sri Lanka Bilateral Free Trade Agreement (1998).[2] He was also the Second Vice-Chairman of the Group of 24[3].
Born to N. U. Jayawardena the former Governor of the Central Bank of Ceylon and Amybelle Millicent Jayawardena; he was educated at the prestigious Royal College Colombo, were he was contemporaries of Gamini Seneviratne and Chris Pinto[4] Jayawardena graduated from King's College, Cambridge in Economic Tripos and went on to gain his PhD from the University of Cambridge[5]. During his time at Cambridge, his contemporaries were Amartya Sen, Richard Layard, Tam Dalyell, Mahbub ul Haque, Jagdish Bhagwati, Manmohan Singh and Geoff Harcourt; he was also a member of the Cambridge Apostles[6] He was married to Dr. Kumari Jayawardene.