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- E-Mail:
- samarajiva@lirne.net
- Telephone:
- +94 11 2 671160
- Interests:
- Digital Divide, Governance, Internet Governance (ICANN / IGF), Telephony, Journalism, Internet, Universal access / service, Comparative research (international), Media and Communications Policy
- Discipline(s)
- Communications, Journalism, Public Policy
- Role(s):
- Researcher
- Location(s) of Work:
- Southern Asia, South East Asia, East Asia
Current Institutional Affiliation(s)
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LIRNEasia (Learning Initiatives on Reforms for Network Economies)
Colombo, Sri LankaExecutive Director
Biography
Professor Rohan Samarajiva is Executive Director of LIRNEasia and one of the co-founders of LIRNE.NET and the World Dialogue on Regulation for Network Economies. His hands-on experience in telecom regulation and reform included a stint as Team Leader at the Ministry for Economic Reform, Science and Technology (2002-2004) responsible for infrastructure reforms and as Director General of Telecommunications in Sri Lanka (1998-1999). He participated in the design of the e Sri Lanka Initiative and was a founder director of the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (2003-2005). He is Chair of the Lanka Software Foundation and serves as Senior Advisor to the Networking Grassroot Movement of Sarvodaya (Sri Lanka’s leading Community Based Organization) and on the ICT Subcommittee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. He is also Policy Advisor to the Ministry of Posts and Telecom, Bangladesh. An Honorary Professor at the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, and visiting faculty at the TERI University in New Delhi, Rohan serves on the editorial boards of six academic journals and is a founder director of Communication Policy Research south (CPRsouth). He was Associate Professor of Communication and Public Policy at the Ohio State University in 1987-2000 and Visiting Professor of Economics of Infrastructures at the Delft University of Technology in 2000-2003. His MA and PhD degrees are from Simon Fraser University, Canada.
Publications and Resources
Books
- Rohan Samarajiva, Ayesha Zainudeen. ICT Infrastructure in Emerging Asia: Policy and Regulatory Roadblocks. Sage & IDRC, 2007
- Robin Mansell (ed.), Rohan Samarajiva (ed.), Amy Mahan (ed.). Networking Knowledge for Information and Societies: Institutions and Intervention. Delft University Press, 2002
Journal Articles
- Rohan Samarajiva, Sujatha Gamage. Bridging the digital divide: Building Asia-Pacific capacity for effective reforms. The Information Society. 2007.
- Rohan Samarajiva. Preconditions for effective deployment of wireless technologies for development in the Asia-Pacific. Information Technology and International Development. 2006.
- Rohan Samarajiva. Mobilizing information and communications technologies for effective disaster warning: Lessons from the 2004 tsunami. New Media and Society. 2005.
- Rohan Samarajiva. Getting from dysfunctional government to e(ffective) government: Mapping a path in Sri Lanka. International Journal of Regulation & Governance. 2004.
Book Chapters
- Harsha Singh, Rohan Samarajiva. "One Backbone, or Two?." In ICT infrastructure in emerging Asia: Policy and regulatory roadblocks. Sage & IDRC, 2007.
- Rohan Samarajiva, Mariam Hameed, Ayesha Zainudeen. "I just called to say . . . Teleuse under a ceasefire." In ICT infrastructure in emerging Asia: Policy and regulatory roadblocks. Sage & IDRC, 2007.
Networks
- CPRsouth3: Transforming Strategies for Telecom Operators; Sponsor(s): International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada