The first session of the journal club for 2025 focused on the working paper ‘Digital Public Infrastructure: A Framework for Conceptualization and Measurement’ by David Eaves and Krisstina Rao, published by the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) on 27 January 2025. The paper aimed to conceptualize and measure digital public infrastructure (DPI), addressing its growing global policy relevance. Using a grounded theory approach, the study integrates insights from literature and expert interviews to offer two key contributions.
- A normative framework to trace the attributes of the concept, discussing its qualities in terms of technology, public-interest values, and the adoption context.
- A measurement framework to evaluate the presence of these attributes in real-world DPI implementations.
The insights from this conceptual and measurement framework contribute to the DPI Map, an ongoing global research project by the authors, which aims to document how countries are building their DPI functions. The paper bridges theory and practice on DPI, offering concrete guidance for government officials, technical implementers, civil society organizations, and researchers to advance their work in this evolving field.
The paper generated significant debate during the session, particularly concerning its methodology for tracing DPI attributes. Participants questioned whether the proposed attributes could be effectively translated into real-world applications, citing inconsistencies in the paper’s conceptualization of DPI. Additionally, participants found value in the paper’s discussion of the three key pillars of DPI: digital identity, digital payments, and data exchange. Concerns were also raised about the paper’s failure to address the political and economic barriers to DPI implementation, as well as its overall optimistic view of DPI’s benefits. No recommendations for policy implementation were provided.
As a result, the key takeaways from the paper and discussion highlighted that more research is needed to ensure empirical validation of DPI attributes. This includes conducting comparative analyses of different DPI models, addressing concerns around privacy, cybersecurity, exclusion, and government overreach, and further studying real-world constraints, regulatory hurdles, and implementation costs. Finally, the authors identified the need to explore how businesses and governments can co-develop interoperable DPI systems. Ultimately, DPI is not just about digital infrastructure – it is about shaping digital societies. Therefore, future research should ensure that DPI is not only efficient and scalable but also ethical, inclusive, and resilient.
For the working paper, click here.
Find the slide set of this journal club below.
By Chanduni Bandara
Download PDF Email
Comments are closed.