Ranji Salgado
Encyclopedia
Merennage Ranji Pemsiri Salgado (June 16, 1929 - September 7, 2009) was a Sri Lanka
n born economist and international civil servant. He was a former Assistant Director of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF).
where he was a Governor’s Scholar, and won the Rajapakse Prize, the Turnour Prize
, C. M. Fernando Memorial Prize, the Steward Prize, Makeen Memorial Prize, Senior English Literature Prize and Senior English Essay Prize. Thereafter he studied mathematics at the University of Ceylon
winning the Muncherji Framji Khan Prize and graduating with a B.A.
First Class Honours degree in Mathematics. Later he read for the Economics Tripos
at the University of Cambridge
Upper Second degree, in two years and went on to complete his PhD in Economics at Cambridge in 1960. His supervisor at Cambridge was Richard Stone
and he was the first Sri Lankan to obtain a PhD from Cambridge in economics.
At the he served for 20 years in many capacities. These included work in the South Asia division, the West Asia division, the South Pacific division, Senior Economist in the Asian Department and chief of many divisions, including functioning as Assistant Director.
One his major roles was as Resident Representative of the IMF in South Korea in the late 1960s when the IMF was playing a critical role in the management of the South Korean economy, and making the transition to be one of Asia’s developed economies. He retired from the IMF in 1988. Thereafter he was appointed to head the Presidential Commission on Banking and Finance in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n born economist and international civil servant. He was a former Assistant Director of the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
(IMF).
Education
Educated at the prestigious Royal College ColomboRoyal College Colombo
The Royal College of Colombo was founded in January 1835 in Colombo. It is considered to be the leading Public School in Sri Lanka...
where he was a Governor’s Scholar, and won the Rajapakse Prize, the Turnour Prize
Turnour Prize
The Turnour Prize is the oldest of the panel prizes at Royal College Colombo. It is one of the most prestigious prizes and honour awarded to a student of Royal College, the oldest public school in the country. Awarded annually to the best student in performance in academics. First awarded in 1846...
, C. M. Fernando Memorial Prize, the Steward Prize, Makeen Memorial Prize, Senior English Literature Prize and Senior English Essay Prize. Thereafter he studied mathematics at the University of Ceylon
University of Ceylon
The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the University of Sri Lanka which existed from 1973 to 1978. In 1978 it was...
winning the Muncherji Framji Khan Prize and graduating with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
First Class Honours degree in Mathematics. Later he read for the Economics Tripos
Tripos
The University of Cambridge, England, divides the different kinds of honours bachelor's degree by Tripos , plural Triposes. The word has an obscure etymology, but may be traced to the three-legged stool candidates once used to sit on when taking oral examinations...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
Upper Second degree, in two years and went on to complete his PhD in Economics at Cambridge in 1960. His supervisor at Cambridge was Richard Stone
Richard Stone
Sir John Richard Nicholas Stone was an eminent British economist who in 1984 received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for developing an accounting model that could be used to track economic activities on a national and, later, an international scale...
and he was the first Sri Lankan to obtain a PhD from Cambridge in economics.
Career
He joined the Central Bank of Ceylon in 1952 and served for 14 years. During his time at the Central Bank he worked as Economic Advisor, on secondment to the Ministry of Industries, Ministry of Agriculture, and the Department of National Planning. He was also a visiting lecturer in Economics at the newly created Vidyodaya University from 1960-6. In 1966 he left the Central Bank to join the IMF in Washington. Briefly from 1970 to 1971 he served as Additional Secretary Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs where he made an important contribution to the development of economic policy.At the he served for 20 years in many capacities. These included work in the South Asia division, the West Asia division, the South Pacific division, Senior Economist in the Asian Department and chief of many divisions, including functioning as Assistant Director.
One his major roles was as Resident Representative of the IMF in South Korea in the late 1960s when the IMF was playing a critical role in the management of the South Korean economy, and making the transition to be one of Asia’s developed economies. He retired from the IMF in 1988. Thereafter he was appointed to head the Presidential Commission on Banking and Finance in Sri Lanka.