Personalia
Koen Haegens, born in Horst (Limburg), the Netherlands, in 1980. Masters in Political Science (Leiden University) and Journalism (University of Amsterdam). Editor at de Groene Amsterdammer.
Journalist-in-Residence (1 September 2014 – 31 January 2015)
Shaking the Invisible Hand: a Search for ‘the Market’ as it Actually Exists
Research Question
How do markets, both historical and modern, really function? And how accurate a description is the word ‘market’ for that?
Project Description
Few abstractions are so dominant in our everyday lives as ‘the market’. We get our daily bread through it, we look for work at the ‘labour market’ or even hope to find love through the ‘dating market’. According to many politicians and commentators, ‘the markets’ would even dictate democratically elected governments. But what is that, ‘the market’? How do modern markets really function? And, not unimportant: are we really living in a ‘market economy’?
Koen Haegens reports on his NIAS stay, and working in an environment away from the everyday hectic of a journalist’s life (in Dutch)
Selected Publications
1) Neem de tijd. Overleven in de to go-maatschappij, Amsterdam: Ambo, 2012
2) Articles and essays, among others: “De meest geweldige show op aarde”, de Groene Amsterdammer, 5-12-2012 (http://www.groene.nl/artikel/de-meest-geweldige-show-op-aarde)