Even the RvA Does Not Understand Poverty 13 August 2026 Even the Raad van Advies (RvA) by definition understands little about poverty. That may sound harsh, but it is precisely the problem Tim ’S Jongers describes in his book Armoede uitgelegd aan mensen met geld. The people who formulate, advise on, and assess policy generally do not belong to the group that lives in poverty every day. Even people who grew up in poverty themselves and later moved up socially do not automatically understand...

AI Makes You Dumb August 14, 2026 If you don’t use it, you lose it. This applies to almost everything, especially your physical fitness and your muscles. We all know it: if you stop cycling for a month and then get back on your bike, you notice it immediately. But the same applies to our brains. We are becoming increasingly aware of this. Anthony sent me a reel listing ten skills that are on the verge of disappearing: Remembering phone numbers; they are all stored in our phones. Mental...

Data 13 August 2026 We are very quick to claim that there is no data to substantiate our assertions. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are losing sight of reality in an abundance of data. While there used to be constant criticism of the amount of data produced by the CBS, my criticism now is that we are producing an overwhelming amount of it. In a short period of time, three reports have been published: the Enkuesta Social, the Labour Force Survey, and the Business Cycle Survey. Put...