The Future of Pensions: Navigating Demographics, Economics, and Sustainability

A special issue of Journal of Risk and Financial Management (ISSN 1911-8074). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Economics and Finance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 1553

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3EU, UK
Interests: financial markets; applied econometrics; risk management; investment management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
BrightonRock Group, 144 Glebe Road, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK
Interests: pension funds; endowments; sovereign wealth funds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore the role of pension funds in an era characterized by an aging population, climate change, and new economic paradigms. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Demographic shifts and pension sustainability;
  • Risk management of pension funds amidst climate change;
  • The role of pension funds in economic growth;
  • Regulatory innovations and pension welfare;
  • Time diversification and pension fund performance;
  • Comparative analyses of pension schemes;
  • Pension valuation methods.

Contributors are invited to submit original research, case studies, and review articles that bridge theory and practice, offering insights that can help shape effective pension fund provisions in the current era of change and transformation. We encourage submissions from both academics and practitioners in the pension industry.

Dr. Woon Wong
Dr. Con Keating
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Risk and Financial Management is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pension fund
  • pension schemes
  • pension sustainability
  • pension valuation methods

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

24 pages, 444 KB  
Article
Pension System Resilience Under Extreme Demographic Shock: Lessons from the Ukrainian Case
by Iryna Kondrat, Myroslava Bublyk and Natalya Yaroshevych
J. Risk Financial Manag. 2026, 19(4), 254; https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm19040254 - 1 Apr 2026
Viewed by 1221
Abstract
Population ageing, declining fertility, and falling real interest rates have widened the global pension gap and increased fiscal pressure on pay-as-you-go systems worldwide. These structural challenges are compounded in Ukraine by an extreme demographic shock caused by war, large-scale migration, excess mortality, and [...] Read more.
Population ageing, declining fertility, and falling real interest rates have widened the global pension gap and increased fiscal pressure on pay-as-you-go systems worldwide. These structural challenges are compounded in Ukraine by an extreme demographic shock caused by war, large-scale migration, excess mortality, and a sharp contraction in GDP. This study evaluates the financial resilience and long-term sustainability of the Ukrainian pension system over 2015–2023 and assesses alternative development trajectories under heightened uncertainty. The methodology integrates demographic analysis with financial sustainability assessment and risk management approaches. A composite Sustainability Index is constructed from nine sub-indices that capture the structural, demographic, and economic dimensions of pension system performance. Scenario modelling is applied to simulate three reform pathways: structural transformation through expansion of the funded pillar, demographic adjustments, and accelerated economic recovery. The findings suggest that structural diversification of the pension system, combined with labour market formalisation and macroeconomic stabilisation, represents the most effective strategy for strengthening resilience. The study contributes to the literature on pension sustainability by conceptualising demographic shock as a systemic risk factor and by positioning pension reform within a broader financial risk management framework. Policy implications extend beyond Ukraine to other ageing economies exposed to turbulence. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop