Dr. Thiruni Kelegama
University of Oxford, UK
Expertise on
Countries: Sri Lanka
Policy Areas & Themes: Development Policy, Foreign Policy, Politics, Governance, Geopolitics, Strategic Partnerships
Bio
Thiruni Kelegama is a political geographer and development studies expert focused on the socio-political impacts of development in the Global South. Her current work explores how Chinese funded infrastructure projects influence state-society relations in Sri Lanka.
Thiruni can advise on development policy, inclusive and participatory methods for engaging policymakers, practitioners, and affected communities, and Indian Ocean geopolitics.
special research expertise on
Political and infrastructural transformations in postcolonial states
Development-driven inequalities
Community responses to state-led infrastructure projects
‘Global’ China in South Asia
Engagement experience includes
Research Collaborator, Institute of Political Economy, Colombo, Sri Lanka (2024 – present)
Contributions to academia-analyst dialogue workshops
Read a sample of Thiruni’s research outputs
Sri Lanka’s new president faces uphill battle to revive debt ridden economy, commentary for The Conversation (with Kanchana Ruwanpura)
Development Gone Wrong: Sri Lanka at 75 commentary for LSE South Asia
Militarized Development in Post-war Sri Lanka: Consolidating Control, Development and Change (open-access journal article)
