VOC - capital error or strategic succes?
What the Dutch Golden Age can teach us about economics
The famous Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC in Dutch) is closely associated with the Golden Age, the era of great economic prosperity in the Dutch Republic. Yet the VOC has not always been a goose with golden eggs. Preserved accounting documents show that during the first decades the VOC was not making profit at all. This is surprising, because the trade and financial market traditionally functioned very well around 1602, when the VOC was established. So what then were the motives and reasons for founding this great and innovatory trade company? Historian Oscar Gelderblom and his team research the archives of the past and discover economic solutions for today.
<p>Produced by: Fast Facts<br />
With the support of: The Young Academy and Oscar Gelderblom<br />
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Thanks to<br />
Iris Koopmans, The Young Academy Office, Utrecht University</p>
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<p><br />
Made by: Marieke Aafjes 2010<br />
In cooperation with:<br />
Camera & editing: Frithmedia<br />
Music: Daan van West<br />
Graphic design: SproetS</p>
