DPI must actually be public to improve the common good

Digital public infrastructure advocates are emphasizing the middle term in the phrase as a necessity for realizing the benefits it is supposed to bestow.

A working paper published by the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) at the University College London (UCL) has tried to shed light on the public notion of DPI and why it must be designed for the common interest in order to engender greater societal impact. In the same vein as the UCL working paper, tech investor Bill Gates also underlined the public notion of digital infrastructure, restating his Foundation’s commitment to supporting the development of the tool to “help save lives and fight poverty in poor countries.”

The 35-page paper from the UCL notes that DPI should not only be regulated, but created and governed for the common good by maximizing the creation of public value for the infrastructure.

The authors of the working paper assert that just as physical infrastructure such as roads, railways, bridges, airports, and electricity are essential to the functioning of human society, so are digital infrastructure which are essentially software used by society for various ends.

They take an intent look at the “public” notion of digital infrastructure, highlighting that DPI has the capability of enabling countries reach certain national development and economic goals, as evidenced by India’s DPI stack where the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) has revolutionized the country’s digital payments landscape and become an attraction for many other nations.

The writers posit that because of the increasing interest by governments in DPI, it is important to fully understand the public nature of DPI, and to take the steps needed to design and implement more effective DPI.

The paper also indicates that while it doesn’t engage in the definitional debate on DPI, it believes that shedding light on what public means “might help clarify the origins of the distinct visions behind the concept of DPI.”

The document demonstrates that there are two ways of framing the “publicness” in DPI, which are “attributes” and “functions.”

The framing in relation to attributes has to do with interoperability, open standards and open sourcing, and reusability of digital infrastructure, while the framing on functions involves fostering economic activities, guaranteeing essential capabilities, fostering community and social relationships, and enhancing the quality of life of users of these infrastructure.

In a blog write-up in which he also underlined the importance of strong DPI, Gates cited open-source platforms such as MOSIP, which is used in almost two dozen countries for digital ID programs, and Mojaloop, used to build digital payments systems. Open-source technology helps DPI projects avoids the proprietary systems that are not well aligned with the unique needs and challenges of individual countries. Estonia’s X-road digital government platform is UCL’s example of open-source DPI.

Gates also holds up X-Road as an example of inclusive DPI which has been used to facilitate access to services for the common good. The platform makes 99 percent of the country’s public services available day and night.

X-Road had been implemented in 22 countries in some form or other, as of November, 2023, UCL says. It also cautions, however, that “open-sourcing DPI is no silver bullet, as there are also many other aspects needed if the goal is adoption by other countries.”

“In practice, most organizations do not use a single frame, but combine them to justify the different social benefits that DPI can create. Still, the exercise of unbundling the frames and analyzing them in isolation is helpful to make explicit the assumptions about value creation that are embedded in the current narratives about DPI’s potential,” the UCL paper holds.

So, the authors propose that in order to get the most public value optimization for digital infrastructure, it is vital to understand the public nature of DPI through the combined perspectives of attributes and functions. But beyond this, there is also need to engage in other processes such as governance and frameworks that can help achieve inclusion, transparency and trust in DPI – values which are not intrinsic in either attributes or functions.

The Microsoft founder notes that just the way infrastructure like roads, bridges and power lines are to the physical world, so are DPI platforms to the digital, meaning that DPI should be built with the public value aspect in mind, making it easier for people to access essential public services, participate in the formal economy, and improve their lives.

He cites the example of Aadhaar and the UPI in India, which have dramatically changed the way of life of citizens in terms of accessing public and private sector services, just as DPI tools are being successfully deployed in countries like Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire and Mali for agricultural and healthcare purposes, respectively.

The UCL paper also proposes a “common good framework” to make sure digital infrastructure serves the particular needs of the public in each country.

“If public value is created collectively for reaching the common good and the process matters as much as the intention, creating public governance structures that help different actors move collectively toward the common good is paramount.”

And this can be done through five key pillars which include purpose and directionality, co-creation and participation, collective learning and knowledge-sharing, access for all and reward-sharing as well as transparency and accountability.

“We suggest that the debate on DPI starts by making public values explicit, but that it goes beyond it. Public value maximization must be a collective effort focusing on outcomes and processes towards the common good,” the paper recommends, adding that the interpretation of “P” in DPI should be seen not only as public interest or public values, but as public value maximization.

Article Topics

Aadhaar  |  digital identity  |  digital public infrastructure  |  financial inclusion  |  Gates Foundation  |  India Stack  |  MOSIP (Modular Open Source Identity Platform)