The Constitutional Council has long been placed ambiguously in the structure of Sri Lankan democracy, resting between the scaffolding of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Does the emerging scholarship around ‘fourth branch’ institutions finally offer a clearer explanation? Taking the Constitutional Council as an example, the talk traces how such institutions have emerged, why they resist easy classification, and what follows from giving them — or denying them — a branch of their own. The stakes are practical as well as theoretical: how we classify an institution shapes how we appoint it, fund it, insulate it from capture, and hold it to account. Join us as Sanjit Dias explores the Supreme Court’s decision on the Constitutional Council’s rejection of a judicial nominee, and analyses its implications in theory and practice. Participation requires no prior background beyond an interest in how democracies are built. Register: forms.cloud.microsoft/r/GTaM… #VThink #SriLanka

Happening Tomorrow. Register: forms.cloud.microsoft/r/k1wc… #srilanka #VThink

Economics has long ignored gender, Dileni (@dilenigun) argues. What is feminist economics, and why must it have a seat at the table? Join us at our next VThink, where Prof. Dileni explores where neoclassical and marxist economics miss the bus, and what feminist economics has to offer. Professor Dileni Gunewardena is the Professor of Economics (Chair) at the University of Peradeniya and a Non-Resident Fellow at @VeriteResearch. Her research is at the confluence of inequality, gender and development economics. She is a PEP Research Fellow, and a former Fulbright Scholar, Brookings Echidna Global Scholar, and two-time Global Development Network awardee. Register: forms.cloud.microsoft/r/k1wc… #developmenteconomics #feminism #marx #srilanka

🔴 For decades, nuclear proliferation and power relations has loomed over nations. The Doomsday Clock - a measure of how close humanity is to man-made global catastrophe - presently stands at 85 seconds to midnight. This week’s VThink takes a closer look at one of the modern world’s most delicate balances and the systems built to hold it together. Malinda Meegoda (@MalindaMeegoda) explores institutions, power relations, and whether history has come close to unfolding differently. Malinda Meegoda is a Global Network Member of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (APLN). He also works as the Programme Lead in the International Economics Team at Verité Research. 👉 Register: forms.cloud.microsoft/r/FQV0… #srilanka #VThink

🧠 𝐃𝐨 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫? Emotions are central to our lives as human persons. Why, then, are they largely neglected in economics and social theory? When it comes to moral reasoning and personal decision-making, should we follow our "hearts" or our "minds"? Join VThink this Thursday from 4:30pm onwards, as we unpack the substantiveness and implications of emotions. 👉 Register and reserve your seat: forms.cloud.microsoft/r/cskC… #srilanka #VThink

🔴 We are just 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 away from our inaugural 2026 V Think session with Dr. Lakmali Jayasinghe. Join us tomorrow at 4:30 PM for a critical discussion on culture and connection in the Sri Lankan context. 👉 Register now to attend: forms.cloud.microsoft/r/4AhT… #SriLanka #culture