Thilina Panduwawala
Senior Macroeconomist
Thilina Panduwawala is Senior Macroeconomist, leading macro-analysis and forecasting. He returned to Frontier in 2022 after an 18-month stint at the ADB as a consultant to its Sri Lanka Resident Mission, where he provided macro-monitoring and analysis for the ADB's operations in Sri Lanka. In his previous four years at Frontier, Thilina led work in embedding politics into economic analysis and making it an integral part of Frontier's approach.
Outside of Frontier, he co-authored Evolution of Chinese Lending to Sri Lanka Since the mid-2000s in 2022, a research paper published by the China-Africa Initiative at Johns Hopkins University and presented at the 2023 DebtCon-6 conference held at Princeton University. He is currently co-authoring four papers on Sri Lanka's sovereign default and domestic debt restructuring for the Finance for Development Lab (FDL) based in Paris, France. Thilina has also authored unpublished reports on SOEs, sub-national government and social security, and electoral demographics of Sri Lanka for international agencies.
All Media Appearances
Independent Economists present ‘Emergency Plan’ to address crisis in SL
22-4-20
The independent group of economists highlight that macroeconomics risks will continue to worsen if immediate action is not taken. Therefore the group of economists urge the government to take the necessary steps to achieve this outcome immediately.
A Conversation on Chinese Lending to Sri Lanka
23-1-8
Excerpts of an interview with Mr. Umesh Moramudali, Lecturer at the Department of Economics, University of Colombo, and Mr. Thilina Panduwawala, Head of Economic Research at Frontier Research, a private-sector research firm based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Chinese lending to Sri Lanka. The interview was based on a recent research report they published with the China-Africa Research Initiative at the School of International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, USA.
Pakistan, Sri Lanka debt crises threaten Beijing's regional influence
22-8-10
Thilina Panduwawala, head of economic research at Frontier Research, a Colombo-based consultancy said domestic political considerations have driven most of this infrastructure growth, and “the country is paying a price for (this) political rush.”