Why Thought Leadership
Pensionomics.com began with a belief – that the UK deserves a more efficient, equitable and sustainable pension system than it currently has. Such a system – fit for the 21st century – would be to the benefit of everyone in the future.
However a necessary step towards any new pension system is to have an honest public debate about what is at stake and to build a consensus for change supported by all parts of society. This change does not only pose challenges but also substantial opportunities.
Even before the financial and economic crisis, Britain’s pension system was under strain, with the traditional partnership between public and private sector increasingly being challenged by the decline of defined-benefit occupational pensions and parts of society not saving enough for their retirement. The crisis has left all aspects of the British pension system in a weakened state and it is unlikely that it will return to its pre-crisis status once the economy recovers. The recent debate on the affordability of public sector pensions adds another dimension to an already complex issue, which was absent in the past.
To achieve our objective of stimulating and contributing to a national debate, pensionomics.com intends to publish rigorous analysis and timely commentary on all aspects of the pension landscape, and to offer potential solutions to identified challenges. The lessons drawn are likely to be of interest to other countries – developed and emerging – facing their own challenges and conversely, their own experiences will be invaluable in furthering our understanding.
We are proud to be associated with the London School of Economics’ Pensions Tomorrow Initiative. We believe that an inter-disciplinary approach is required to derive at workable solutions for the future and that we can learn from international experiences. Pensionomics.com aims to support an informed and independent debate on pensions by capturing a wide range of views and opinions, including third party commentary. All contributions will be reviewed by the Editors to ensure quality.
We would like to hear from you and hope that you share our view that Britain deserves a better pension system to the benefit of everyone in the future. If you would like to submit contributions for publication on pensionomics.com, please get in touch with Dr Amarendra Swarup.
Dr Amarendra Swarup
Dr Amarendra (Bob) Swarup oversees the thought leadership programme as well as alternative investments at Pension Corporation. He holds a PhD in Cosmology from Imperial College London, two Masters degrees from the University of London and an MA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge. Prior to joining Pension Corporation, Bob was at a AAA-rated hedge fund of funds based in London. He is a CAIA (Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst) charter-holder and a member of the CAIA Exam Council. He is also a member of the Advisory Board at a leading European private equity fund of funds.
Bob’s research interests include macroeconomic issues in pensions, the role of financial markets, alternatives, asset-liability management and risk management. He is currently working with Pensions Tomorrow, a research initiative at the London School of Economics, to examine pensions and longevity from a variety of viewpoints and provide a forum for wider debate. Most recently, he worked with Bloomsbury Publishing as consultant editor to put together QFINANCE – a book of essays on all aspects of global finance by leading academics, policymakers and practitioners across the world.
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Dr Frank Eich
Dr Frank Eich was Senior Economist at Pension Corporation between 2008 and 2010, where he co-led on the Thought Leadership project. Prior to joining Pension Corporation, Frank worked for the German Federal Finance Ministry on international economic policy issues, and HM Treasury on long-term macroeconomic and public finances issues including population ageing and pensions. He started his professional career at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and holds a PhD and MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics. Frank’s professional interests remain firmly in the areas of macroeconomics and welfare reforms. He can be contacted via LinkedIn or frankeich
onetel [dot] com (email).