AUTHOR'S BIO
Heleen Mees
Heleen Mees is a Dutch economist and lawyer. Her most recent book Weg met het deeltijdfeminisme! examines third generation feminism. She is also the author of a book on European Union law and founder of the women's action committee Women on Top.
| RECENT COMMENTARIES | FEATURED COMMENTARIES | MOST READ COMMENTARIES |
-
The False Panacea of Labor-Market Flexibility
Heleen Mees Series: Frontiers of Growth 2011-03-22A preliminary comparison between Europe’s largest economy, Germany, and the US suggests that the former is better equipped to hold its own in the age of globalization. And Germany's highly regulated labor market may be partly to thank for that.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 15594
-
Germany Is Not China
Heleen Mees Series: European Economies 2010-08-16
Global imbalances in trade and capital flows clearly are at least partly to blame for what has happened to the world economy since 2008. But not all imbalances are created equal, so it is important to weigh the consequences of individual countries’ external accounts for global economic stability and prosperity.... read Comments: 1 Recommended: 0 Read: 19106
-
Does Legalizing Prostitution Work?
Heleen Mees Series: Human Rights 2009-01-23Prostitution is virtually the only part of the personal services industry in the Netherlands that works. But it hasn't worked for prostitutes themselves, who are routinely threatened, beaten, raped, and terrorized by pimps and customers.... read Comments: 2 Recommended: 0 Read: 27364
-
Wars Against Women
Heleen Mees and Femke van Zeijl Series: Human Rights 2008-05-26In cultures where girls and women are married off and chastity is central to womanhood, the stigma of rape often is a heavier burden than the assault itself. So it is all the more striking – and painful – that for so long this specific crime of war has received little attention.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 34090
-
The Cost of the Gender Gap
Heleen Mees Series: European Economies 2007-08-29Working women throughout the world have long complained of the unfairness implied by lower pay than what men receive. But the wage disparity between men and women is more than unjust. It is also economically harmful.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 22846
-
Beyond the Gender Gap
Heleen Mees Series: European Economies 2007-01-31Last Spring, The Economist trumpeted “womanpower” as the driving force for the world economy. But if Europe’s economy is to become more competitive and innovative, it is not enough that women enter the labor market in droves. To reap the full fruits of women’s talents, they must be in more top jobs, too, both in the public and private sector. ... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 23670
-
Europe’s Leisure Trap
Heleen Mees Series: European Economies 2006-06-23Black Friday in the United States traditionally is the day after Thanksgiving that signals the start of the holiday season sale. At daybreak, people line up before department stores to get the special “early bird” bargains. In Europe, black Saturday falls in the last weekend of July, when the French and other Europeans set off in droves for their Mediterranean holiday destinations, and highways get jammed with traffic. ... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 37015
-
Affirmative Action for Europe
Heleen Mees and Rick van der Ploeg Series: Human Rights 2005-12-02The violence in France, fueled by staggering unemployment and ruthless policing, reflects the utter failure of the French model of social integration. But violence elsewhere in Europe, such as the London bombings of July and the brutal murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh on the streets of Amsterdam in November 2004, had already made Europe’s failure to integrate its minorities painfully clear.... read Comments: 2 Recommended: 0 Read: 38090
