Following the Global Financial Crisis, David was asked to serve on investigations into the cause and the response to what had happened. This included the Future of Banking Commission, chaired by David Davis MP, and the Sharman Inquiry into accounting standards.
His work went on to explore how the institutions of finance, and the intellectual foundations through which they are justified, had come adrift from their purpose. These issues have become a theme of his work, in particular of his book, What They Do With Your Money.
In 2016 as Executive Fellow at London Business School he introduced a unique required course to the Master in Finance Curriculum, entitled “The Purpose of Finance”. That course continues lead by Dr Chris Higson. David has now introduced a similar course at Cambridge University.
In 2016, he and Dr Harinder Mann founded an initiative sponsored by the Pension Insurance Corporation, also known as “The Purpose of Finance”. It is commissioning a series of papers based on that theme, accompanied by discussions and debaters. It is closely allied with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Inclusive Growth.