One of the treasures of the Netherlands is the “Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau (Social and Cultural Planning Office). The director Paul Schnabel embodies an attitude towards a sober and evidence based view of the world, far removed from hypes and populistic spin. As in his recent speech about pensionfunds in the Netherlands:
- The idea that less and less people work while the state debt rises is proven wrong by the facts. The opposite is true.
- The Netherlands has the seconds youngest population of the 15 “old” EU countries.
- The percentage of poor families is the lowest in the age group over 65.
- Most people start saving again after they become 72 years old because their income is higher than their expenditures.
The last two facts mean that we are better of now in this recession than in the 1930′s. So much purchasing power independent of the labor market and economic swings.
