2 small points: I once read that Neelie Kroes is walking around with a notebook filled with names of women capable for high placed jobs. So she can drop names as soon as she hears about a jobopening, just like the old boys network does.

Second one is about the tax on resources. Another interesting approach I once read about is shift the focus from income on labour or other resources, to taxing consumption. Reasoning behind that: why tax income form working with your hands higher through income taxes than income earned from investing your money? Don’t remember the writer, but the book was called Luxury Fever.