Mathijs Nicolaas Bouman (born 1 May 1966) is a Dutch economist and journalist.[1] He is a regular contributor to the TV programs RTL Z and De Wereld Draait Door and writes columns for Het Financieele Dagblad and the business website Z24.nl.[2] A critic of the Dutch Polder model, in which "bad luck is officially forbidden" and "accidents are banned",[3] he is referred to as a market liberalist,[4] and as a prominent opinion builder[5] whose Twitter account is recommended for "peppered" opinions.[6]
He is the author of two books on Dutch economics: Hollandse Overmoed ("Dutch Overconfidence", 2006)[7][18] and De Elektrische Spijkerbroek en andere avonturen in de economie ("The electric jeans and other adventures in the economy", 2010), a collection of his columns with observations on and anecdotes from the Dutch economy. A review in the NRC Handelsblad noted a number of worthwhile one-liners, including "If women pay fewer taxes, men will vacuum more often" and "the world's tallest buildings are usually an omen of disaster".[4]
