Heleen Mees

About Heleen Mees

Heleen Mees was Adjunct Associate Professor at New York Universitys Wagner Graduate School of Public Policy and before that Assistant Professor. Mees is columnist for the Dutch daily de Volkskrant and she writes opinion articles for international publications including Foreign Policy, The Financial Times, and Project Syndicate. Having worked in Europe, the United States and China, Mees has a unique perspective on world affairs. Her fields of expertise include China, the global economy, Wall street, immigration in Europe, womens issues, and the United States. Shes in high demand as a guest in talk shows and news programs and is the author of four books.In her latest book, The Chinese Birdcage – How Chinas Rise Almost Toppled the West (2016), Mees explores Chinas significant influence on western economies by focusing on the link between the labor market, corporate profits and interest rates, using Arthur Lewis’s framework for economic growth with unlimited supplies of labor to argue that by 2010 the world economy – and political situations – had been set back almost one hundred years.In Between Greed and Desire – The World Between Wall Street and Man Street (2009), Mees discusses the different models for integration in Europe and the United States. While the global financial crisis showed that greed has had a destructive impact on the economy, the desire to build a better life is still the main source of social progress. In 2006 Mees co-founded Women on Top, an organization that advocates more women in top jobs. As an opponent of glass ceilings and the old boys network, Mees campaigned for 30 percent representation of women on all company boards. Mees graduated both in economics and law. She is fluent in English and Dutch and speaks Chinese (Mandarin), French and Italian. She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.