Netherlands Court of Audit awards Thesis Prize 2025
Christel van de Wal (Open Universiteit) has won the Netherlands Court of Audit’s Thesis Prize 2025 for her study of central government’s use of new technologies such as blockchain and how secure and reliable their data processing is.
Van de Wal also asked whether system development made appropriate allowance for such public values as transparency, due diligence and reliability. The jury was impressed by her thesis’ concrete and clear explanation of complex technical issues.
Van de Wal is currently senior supervisor data sharing at the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). She received the Thesis Prize 2025 from the Court of Audit’s Vice President, Barbara Joziasse, on 27 February 2025.
Van de Wal’s research complements the Court of Audit’s work as the independent watchdog of central government’s operation and performance. She concluded that blockchain and other new technologies strengthen public values by processing and sharing data securely and reliably. Her thesis argues that a sense of urgency, peer pressure and the involvement of managers, staff and experts are essential for the successful adoption of new technologies.
Second prize was won by Tijn Voerman (Erasmus School of Economics) for his thesis on how uncertainty about future taxation is holding back public and private investment in Europe. Eva Schreuder (Erasmus University Rotterdam) took the third prize for her thesis on nature-inclusive agriculture in peat meadow areas.
The Court of Audit is a firm believer in the importance of close collaboration with universities. The Thesis Prize is one of its initiatives to strengthen its ties with academic knowledge institutions and students.