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A Van Zanten-comic for the economist magazine ESB. Theme of the issue is ‘Export, international trade and foreign investments in the Netherlands’, but I couldn’t avoid the corona crisis… My translation: 1) Research shows that over the decades, the dutch economy has become more and more dependent on foreign countries. 2) Back in the day, I would have said: good! Open borders, international cooperation, world peace. Alle Menschen werden Brüder. 3) Today, I think: shouldn’t we have taken care to have a national face mask industry?

Een Van Zanten-strip voor het economische tijdschrift ESB. Het thema was ‘Export, wederuitvoer en buitenlandse investeringen in Nederland’, maar ook dan is de corona-crisis niet te vermijden.

A Van Zanten comic for the economist magazine ESB. The unavoidable theme: corona crisis. My translation: 1) Since this corona crisis I follow all statistics and economic news. 2) I absorb every stat about the spread of the disease: the number of new hospitalizations, the reproduction rate R0, tipping points and flattening of curves. 3) Economics: I follow everything. Economic decrease, recession or even depression? Share prices, emergency funds, support packages… Market prices of face masks. 4) VZ: For the first time since 1916, this is an issue of ESB that I will read from cover to cover. Fish: Normally, he only reads his own cartoon.
The ‘since 1916’ is taken from the magazines logo that you can see below.

Een Van Zanten-strip voor het economische blad ESB (Economische Statistische Berichten), met het onvermijdelijke thema: coronacrisis. Hieronder zie je waar ik het ‘sinds 1916’ uit het laatste plaatje vandaan heb.

A Van Zanten comic for the economist magazine ESB – a second theme issue about development aid. My translation: 1) Africa, I hear so little good news about it. Hunger, poverty, debts, refugees, corruption… 2) Billions of development aid and debt relief, did it help? You hear some people say that continuing development aid makes no sense. 3) But does stopping development aid make sense?

Een Van Zanten-strip voor het economische tijdschrift ESB – een tweede nummer over ontwikkelingshulp.

A new Van Zanten comic for the economist magazine ESB, an issue about development aid. I liked to use a famous quotation from a poet of Willem Elsschot in this cartoon, in the last image. My translation: 1) VZ: Make poverty history once and for all! I keep saying this! 2) VZ: Poverty: is it any good? Did it ever bring us anything? Is it useful? No? Why do we still have it? 3) Woman: I am sorry, but I don’t have any change. 4) VZ: Between dreams and deeds, the path is blocked by laws and practical objections.
(This is my own translation of Elsschot’s famous line, in 2015 Paul Vincent and John Irons translated the same line from the poem ‘The Marriage’ as ‘as giving dreams their head / raises both practical and legal snags.‘)

Een nieuwe Van Zanten-strip voor het economische tijdschrift ESB, een nummer over ontwikkelingssamenwerking. Ik vond het leuk om een beroemde dichtregel uit het gedicht ‘Het Huwelijk’ van Willem Elsschot erin te gebruiken.

A Van Zanten comic for the economist magazine ESB, an issue about social mobility. My translation: 1) Grandson: Granddad, did you know that the region where a kid grows up, has its influence on future income? 2) Grandson: I looked it up and yeah right: I live in a bad region. 3) Grandson: Homework, show-and-tells, tests and exams, school projects… What is the point of it all? 4) VZ: Miss Teacher, he could really, really use his Christmas holiday.

Een Van Zanten-strip voor het economische tijdschrift ESB, over sociale mobiliteit.

A Van Zanten comic for the economist magazine ESB – a second time on the theme of ‘productivity’. My translation: 1) Despite the developments in information and communication technology, productivity is hardly increasing. 2) I recognise this. Due to the increasing complexity of ICT, I sometimes just can’t get to start working at all. 3) For instance, take this Candy Crush level…

Een Van Zanten strip voor het economische tijdschrift ESB, voor een tweede keer over arbeidsproductiviteit.