David Pinkus
David Pinkus joined Bruegel in May 2023, working as an Affiliate Fellow until May 2025. He is an applied economist with a strong interest in social welfare policies, as well as the intersection of financial markets and the real economy.
His work focuses on the challenges social security systems face due to an ageing population. He is also interested in the wider economic effects of funded pension systems and institutional investors. From 2014 to 2016, he worked as a consultant at the OECD’s Long-Term Investment Project, researching policies to enable institutional investors to finance infrastructure under a G20 mandate.
David holds a PhD in Economics from Copenhagen Business School and is affiliated with the university’s Pension Research Centre (PeRCent). David also holds an M.Sc. in Economics from Bocconi University in Milan and a B.Sc. in Economics from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich.
David is fluent in German, French and English.
Disclosure of interests
Featured work
Size versus allocation in capital market development: evidence from pension funds and insurance companies
EU capital markets stay small as savings sit in deposits, making insurers and pension funds pivotal if portfolios shift into productive assets
The macroeconomic impact of ageing, EU immigration policy and pension expenditures
The EU faces ageing-driven fiscal strain, slower growth and rising pension costs, making employment-focused migration increasingly vital
Europe’s savings debate should focus on the bigger picture
Contrary to common belief, savings do not flee Europe for the United States, but the EU could still do more to put its savings to work domestically
Plugging Europe’s investment gap: understanding the potential of leveraging institutional investors
Expanding funded pensions via auto-enrolment could boost long-term investment and saver security, allowing the EU to address its investment gap
All work
Analysis
08 July 2024
The European Investment Bank can afford to take more risks
Significant reserves built up through decades of profit-making should enable the bank to absorb volatility of riskier investments
First Glance
13 May 2024
German pension reform push crystallises challenges faced by many European countries
The burden of pension reform should be shared across generations, even if it is politically difficult
Analysis
30 April 2024
Beyond retirement: a closer look at the very old
The European Union should start to prepare for those over 85 making up 10 percent of the population in 2100
Analysis
25 April 2024
EU savers need a single-market place to invest
Proposals to leverage the single market to boost retail investment could lead to a product citizens will trust
Newsletter
22 April 2024
Report
14 March 2024
Report
24 January 2024
Accelerating strategic investment in the European Union beyond 2026
A potential long-term EU approach to the financing of strategic objectives.