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Dr Dennis De Widt
Reader in Accounting and Finance
- DeWidtD@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 29208 76569
- Aberconway Building, Room Room R32, Colum Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF10 3EU
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
Dennis De Widt is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Accounting & Finance at Cardiff Business School, which he joined in August 2017. After graduating from Leiden University, the Netherlands, he worked as a Junior Researcher at the Centre for Public Sector Reform at Leiden University. He moved to the UK in 2011 to conduct his PhD at Queen Mary University of London, conducting a European comparative study of the impact of intergovernmental financial structures on local government debt. Subsequently, he worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Exeter Business School where his EU funded research focused on tax compliance initiatives for large businesses.
Dennis’ research in the areas of public sector finances and accounting is characterised by a strong interdisciplinary, and often international comparative approach. His publications have appeared in a range of journals including the British Tax Review, Financial Accountability & Management, Government Information Quarterly, Public Administration, and Regional Studies.
Dennis is an Independent Adviser to the Welsh Government’s Local Government Finance Distribution Group, an Executive Board Member of the BAFA (British Accounting & Finance Association) Special Interest Group for Public Services and Charities, and Co-Director of PACCFINTAX - the Public Sector Accounting, Finance and Taxation Research Group of Cardiff Business School.
Publication
2024
- Baylis, R. M., De Widt, D., Helikum, L. J. and Ashworth, R. 2024. Debate: The lack of public sector accounting education within universities and what is next. Public Money & Management 44(5), pp. 347-348. (10.1080/09540962.2024.2333613)
- De Widt, D., Maroun, W. and Atkins, J. 2024. Neutralizing deviance at state-owned enterprises: The case of South African Airways. Abacus: A Journal of Accounting, Finance and Business Studies
- De Widt, D. and Oats, L. 2024. Imagining cooperative tax regulation: Common origins, divergent paths. Critical Perspectives On Accounting 99, article number: 102446. (10.1016/j.cpa.2022.102446)
- De Widt, D. and Mulligan, E. 2024. The accountability of collaborative innovations in tax administration: A Dutch-US comparison. International Public Management Journal (10.1080/10967494.2024.2315183)
2023
- Baylis, R. and De Widt, D. 2023. Debate: The future of public sector audit training. Public Money & Management 43(3), pp. 217-218. (10.1080/09540962.2022.2109881)
- Anggoro, A. W., Corcoran, P., De Widt, D. and Li, Y. 2023. Using DistilBERT to assign HS codes to international trading transactions. Presented at: World Conference on Information Systems and Technologies, Pisa, Italy, 4 - 6 April 2023.
2022
- De Widt, D., Llewelyn, I. and Thorogood, T. 2022. Liberalising audit markets for local government: The five forces at work in England and the Netherlands. Financial Accountability and Management 38(3), pp. 394-425. (10.1111/faam.12302)
- Mulligan, E., Bassey, E., De Widt, D., Greggi, M., Kiesewetter, D. and Oats, L. 2022. Regulation of intermediaries, including tax advisers, in the EU/Member States and best practices from inside and outside the EU. Technical Report.
- De Widt, D., Llewelyn, I. and Thorogood, T. 2022. Stakeholder attitudes towards audit credibility in English local government: A post-audit commission analysis. Financial Accountability and Management 38(1), pp. 29-55. (10.1111/faam.12267)
- De Widt, D. 2022. Cooperative compliance: a multi-stakeholder and sustainable approach to taxation, by Jeffrey Owens and Jonathan Leigh Pemberton (eds) [Book Review]. British Tax Review(2), pp. 241-244.
2021
- De Widt, D., Thorogood, T. and Llewelyn, I. 2021. Monitoring local government financial sustainability: a Dutch-English comparison. In: Geissler, R., Hammerschmid, G. and Raffer, C. eds. Local Public Finance: An International Comparative Regulatory Perspective. Springer, Cham, pp. 131-152., (10.1007/978-3-030-67466-3_8)
- De Widt, D. 2021. The impact of demographic trends on local government financial reserves: evidence from England. Local Government Studies 47(3), pp. 405-428. (10.1080/03003930.2021.1877665)
2020
- De Widt, D. and Oats, L. 2020. Co-operative compliance: The U.K. evolutionary model. In: Hein, R. and Russo, R. eds. Co-operative Compliance and the OECD’s International Compliance Assurance Programme., Vol. 68. EUCOTAX Series on European Taxation Alphen aan den Rijn: Kluwer Law International, pp. 213-230.
2019
- De Widt, D., Oats, L. and Mulligan, E. 2019. The US compliance assurance process: a relational signalling perspective. Journal of Tax Administration 5(1), pp. 145-161.
2018
- De Widt, D. and Panagiotopoulos, P. 2018. Informal networking in the public sector: Mapping local government debates in a period of austerity. Government Information Quarterly 35(3), pp. 375-388. (10.1016/j.giq.2018.05.004)
- De Widt, D. and Laffin, M. 2018. Representing territorial diversity: the role of local government associations. Regional Studies 52(11), pp. 1585-1594. (10.1080/00343404.2018.1462488)
- De Widt, D., Llewelyn, I. and Thorogood, T. 2018. Review of lessons learned by Public Sector Audit Appointments Limited in its role as an Appointing Person 2016–18. Technical Report.
2017
- De Widt, D. and Oats, L. 2017. Risk assessment in a cooperative compliance context: a Dutch-UK comparison. British Tax Review 2017(2), pp. 230-248.
- De Widt, D. 2017. The sustainability of local government finances in England, Germany and the Netherlands: the impact of intergovernmental regulatory regimes. In: Bolivar, M. ed. Financial Sustainability in Public Administrations. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 193-225., (10.1007/978-3-319-57962-7_8)
- De Widt, D. 2017. Dutch horizontal monitoring: the handicap of a head start. Working paper. FairTaxProject. Available at: https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1142129/FULLTEXT01.pdf
2016
- De Widt, D. 2016. Top-down and bottom-up: Institutional effects on debt and grants at the English and German local level. Public Administration 94(3), pp. 664-684. (10.1111/padm.12251)
Articles
- Baylis, R. M., De Widt, D., Helikum, L. J. and Ashworth, R. 2024. Debate: The lack of public sector accounting education within universities and what is next. Public Money & Management 44(5), pp. 347-348. (10.1080/09540962.2024.2333613)
- De Widt, D., Maroun, W. and Atkins, J. 2024. Neutralizing deviance at state-owned enterprises: The case of South African Airways. Abacus: A Journal of Accounting, Finance and Business Studies
- De Widt, D. and Oats, L. 2024. Imagining cooperative tax regulation: Common origins, divergent paths. Critical Perspectives On Accounting 99, article number: 102446. (10.1016/j.cpa.2022.102446)
- De Widt, D. and Mulligan, E. 2024. The accountability of collaborative innovations in tax administration: A Dutch-US comparison. International Public Management Journal (10.1080/10967494.2024.2315183)
- Baylis, R. and De Widt, D. 2023. Debate: The future of public sector audit training. Public Money & Management 43(3), pp. 217-218. (10.1080/09540962.2022.2109881)
- De Widt, D., Llewelyn, I. and Thorogood, T. 2022. Liberalising audit markets for local government: The five forces at work in England and the Netherlands. Financial Accountability and Management 38(3), pp. 394-425. (10.1111/faam.12302)
- De Widt, D., Llewelyn, I. and Thorogood, T. 2022. Stakeholder attitudes towards audit credibility in English local government: A post-audit commission analysis. Financial Accountability and Management 38(1), pp. 29-55. (10.1111/faam.12267)
- De Widt, D. 2022. Cooperative compliance: a multi-stakeholder and sustainable approach to taxation, by Jeffrey Owens and Jonathan Leigh Pemberton (eds) [Book Review]. British Tax Review(2), pp. 241-244.
- De Widt, D. 2021. The impact of demographic trends on local government financial reserves: evidence from England. Local Government Studies 47(3), pp. 405-428. (10.1080/03003930.2021.1877665)
- De Widt, D., Oats, L. and Mulligan, E. 2019. The US compliance assurance process: a relational signalling perspective. Journal of Tax Administration 5(1), pp. 145-161.
- De Widt, D. and Panagiotopoulos, P. 2018. Informal networking in the public sector: Mapping local government debates in a period of austerity. Government Information Quarterly 35(3), pp. 375-388. (10.1016/j.giq.2018.05.004)
- De Widt, D. and Laffin, M. 2018. Representing territorial diversity: the role of local government associations. Regional Studies 52(11), pp. 1585-1594. (10.1080/00343404.2018.1462488)
- De Widt, D. and Oats, L. 2017. Risk assessment in a cooperative compliance context: a Dutch-UK comparison. British Tax Review 2017(2), pp. 230-248.
- De Widt, D. 2016. Top-down and bottom-up: Institutional effects on debt and grants at the English and German local level. Public Administration 94(3), pp. 664-684. (10.1111/padm.12251)
Book sections
- De Widt, D., Thorogood, T. and Llewelyn, I. 2021. Monitoring local government financial sustainability: a Dutch-English comparison. In: Geissler, R., Hammerschmid, G. and Raffer, C. eds. Local Public Finance: An International Comparative Regulatory Perspective. Springer, Cham, pp. 131-152., (10.1007/978-3-030-67466-3_8)
- De Widt, D. and Oats, L. 2020. Co-operative compliance: The U.K. evolutionary model. In: Hein, R. and Russo, R. eds. Co-operative Compliance and the OECD’s International Compliance Assurance Programme., Vol. 68. EUCOTAX Series on European Taxation Alphen aan den Rijn: Kluwer Law International, pp. 213-230.
- De Widt, D. 2017. The sustainability of local government finances in England, Germany and the Netherlands: the impact of intergovernmental regulatory regimes. In: Bolivar, M. ed. Financial Sustainability in Public Administrations. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 193-225., (10.1007/978-3-319-57962-7_8)
Conferences
- Anggoro, A. W., Corcoran, P., De Widt, D. and Li, Y. 2023. Using DistilBERT to assign HS codes to international trading transactions. Presented at: World Conference on Information Systems and Technologies, Pisa, Italy, 4 - 6 April 2023.
Monographs
- Mulligan, E., Bassey, E., De Widt, D., Greggi, M., Kiesewetter, D. and Oats, L. 2022. Regulation of intermediaries, including tax advisers, in the EU/Member States and best practices from inside and outside the EU. Technical Report.
- De Widt, D., Llewelyn, I. and Thorogood, T. 2018. Review of lessons learned by Public Sector Audit Appointments Limited in its role as an Appointing Person 2016–18. Technical Report.
- De Widt, D. 2017. Dutch horizontal monitoring: the handicap of a head start. Working paper. FairTaxProject. Available at: https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1142129/FULLTEXT01.pdf
- De Widt, D. and Laffin, M. 2018. Representing territorial diversity: the role of local government associations. Regional Studies 52(11), pp. 1585-1594. (10.1080/00343404.2018.1462488)
Research
Research interests
- Intergovernmental and local government finances
- Public budgeting and accounting
- Public sector auditing
- Tax policy and administration (including transfer pricing)
Research projects and consultancies
2022–current Executive Board Member of the BAFA (British Accounting & Finance Association) Special Interest Group for Public Services and Charities.
2019–current Independent Adviser to the Welsh Government’s Local Government Finance Distribution Sub-Group.
2017–current Associate Research Fellow of the Tax Administration Research Centre (TARC), University of Exeter Business School.
Recent grants:
- 'Regulation of intermediaries, including tax advisers, in the EU/Member States and best practices from outside the EU', fund award European Parliament Subcommittee on Tax Matters (FISC), Co-I, £12,500 (Spring 2022).
- 'Small businesses and the tax system' Cardiff University Civic Mission fund award, Co-I, £6,700 (Summer 2022).
- 'Determinants of audit fees in the UK university sector', Cardiff Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (CUROP), £2,250 (Summer 2019).
- 'Independent Review of PSAA Appointing Person Project' (2018), funding award from the Local Government Association (LGA) to review Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd., together with Dr Tim Thorogood and Iolo llewelyn, £27,000, Principal Investigator. Report available via: https://www.psaa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/PSAA-Appointing-Person-evaluation-final-report.pdf
Reviewing and Editorial Board positions
Ad hoc reviewing for:
Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Accounting Forum, Financial Accountability & Management, Global Finance Journal, Government Information Quarterly, International Review of Administrative Sciences, Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, Journal of Tax Administration, Local Government Studies, Policy & Politics, Public Administration Review, Public Money & Management, Sustainability.
I am an Editorial Review Board member of the Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change.
Teaching
Teaching commitments
- Performance & Financial Management (Undergraduate, year 2)
- People & Finance (Postgraduate Diploma in Healthcare Planning)
- MSc dissertations
- PhD supervision
Teaching experience at Cardiff University
- MBA Business Projects dissertation supervisor
- Research Methods (MSc)
- Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Accounting (MSc)
- BSc Dissertation (Undergraduate, year 3)
Furthermore, Dennis has taught at Bristol University, Exeter University, Leiden University in the Netherlands, and Queen Mary University of London.
Teaching awards
- Nominated for the Cardiff University Enriching Student Life Award, 2020
Biography
Education
- PhD in Business and Management (Queen Mary University of London)
- MSc(Res) in Public Administration (Leiden University)
- MA in Economic History (Leiden University)
- BSc in Public Administration (Leiden University)
- BA in Economic History (Leiden University)
- IPSAS Dip - Diploma in International Public Sector Accounting Standards (CIFPA, London)
- Certificate in Management and Financial Accounting (CIPFA, London)
Professional memberships
- British Accounting & Finance Association (BAFA)
- Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA)
- Comparative International Governmental Accounting Research Network (CIGAR)
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
External examiner roles
- University of Leicester (2024 to date)
- University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg (South Africa) (2024 to date)
Previous positions
- Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance, Cardiff Business School, 2020-2023
- Lecturer in Accounting and Finance, Cardiff Business School, 2017-2020
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow European Union Horizon FairTax research project, University of Exeter Business School, 2015-2017
- Junior Researcher at the Centre for Public Sector Reform, Leiden University, the Netherlands, 2010-2011
Supervisions
Current supervision
Hessa Alghadeer
Research student
Specialisms
- Accounting
- Auditing and accountability
- Public sector organisation and management
- Taxation and revenue
