Gayani is a Senior Research Manager at LIRNEasia, where she focuses on mixed-methods research at the intersection of economic development, policy, and digital technologies. Her areas of expertise include social protection, poverty, digital access, use and skills, digital taxation, and cross border data flows. She has worked on several Asian countries including Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Myanmar, India, and Nepal. She has contributed to national policies and regulations, managed large-scale research projects, and delivered capacity-building programmes for government agencies.
In addition to her role at LIRNEasia, Gayani is a consultant with the Asian Development Bank and has previously consulted with the World Bank, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Digital Infrastructure and Information Technology, and EY.
She holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the National University of Singapore and a Bachelor’s in Economics from the University of London.
More information on Gayani’s focal areas:
Poverty and social protection: She leads LIRNEasia’s work in poverty and social protection.
- Poverty and social assistance: State of poverty, targeting and delivery gaps in social assistance, and digitalisation of social assistance deliver
- Social insurance: Social insurance for informal workers, including gig/platform workers
Digital Development: She has conducted high-level digital assessments, covering varied areas such as access and use, skills, government service delivery, economy, and regulation.
- Access, Use, and Skills: State of access, use, and skills gaps, focusing on inclusion, including those faced by women and persons with disabilities, and in times of crisis such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. State of telecom regulation, including focus on universal service and regulatory incentives.
- Taxation: Taxation models for digital services, including direct and indirect taxes.
- Cross-border Data Flows: Regulatory and economic impacts of data localisation, including impacts on regional integration.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayanih/