Key takeaways
- The introductory session highlighted the importance of measuring Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) effectiveness, inclusivity, and impact through both individual and collective goals within the Community of Practice (CoP) for DPI Measurement.
- Key themes included: (1) Infrastructure vs. approach - examining DPI through technical performance metrics or broader societal and economic impact; (2) Prevalence vs. impact - balancing adoption metrics with social outcomes; (3) Market impacts - considering DPI's role in enabling business services and opportunities.
- Next steps: Join the next discussion on inclusive DPI measurement scheduled for April 9, 2025, to deepen the exploration of measurement practices (link will be shared here when available). Register your interest in contributing to future sessions and stay updated by signing up for the newsletter.
Session Notes
Introduction
As Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) continues to reshape governance and public service delivery globally, the questions of how we measure its effectiveness, inclusivity, and impact have become increasingly urgent. On March 11, 2025, the IIPP held the introductory meeting of its Community of Practice (CoP) for DPI Measurement to address these questions. The meeting convened over 80 participants to identify individual and potential community goals of the CoP. This blog post captures key insights from this inaugural session, highlighting some of the central discussion points that emerged during the introductory session.
DPI Approach vs. Infrastructure Debate
Community members engaged in a lively discussion on the benefits and limitations of the framing narratives for DPI itself. members debated whether DPI should be understood primarily as infrastructure, comprising interoperable digital systems, or as an approach to digitisation with broader implications for governance and service delivery. Members emphasised that when DPI is viewed as infrastructure, measurement tends to focus on technical indicators like adoption rates and system performance. Conversely, an approach-centered understanding demands an evaluation of its social and economic impacts.
The community emphasised that user-centric approaches to studying DPI require identifying concrete points of contact between citizens and systems. Such approaches can provide important insights often overlooked in infrastructure-focused assessments. Overall, the community was broadly aligned in understanding this debate as central to shaping how DPI is understood and measured.
Measuring Prevalence and Impact
The community discussions highlighted the practical distinction between measuring the prevalence of DPI systems and assessing their social impacts. This topic emerged in response to the session's presentation, which provided a visualisation of the current DPI measurement ecosystem along a continuum from prevalence to impact assessment. Members of the IIPP presented the framework that prevalence measurement can be understood as a foundational assessment practice necessary for subsequent assessments of DPI's social impacts. Participants emphasised the importance of viewing these two dimensions holistically rather than as separate measurement practices. This discussion was further broadened by distinguishing between supply-side factors (technology availability, political will, organisational capacity) and demand-side considerations (user adoption, safety guidelines, accessibility). The consensus emerged that meaningful DPI measurement must work to understand the complex dynamics informing supply-side and demand-side measurement practices towards an integrated account of DPI's full societal value and potential.
Inclusion, and other complex attributes of DPI measurement
Throughout the session, participants reiterated the importance of inclusion as a fundamental attribute of effective DPI systems. The community identified a significant gap in quantifying success criteria for DPI system implementations, particularly noting that these criteria might differ substantially between public and private sector stakeholders. The highlighted that where public sector entities might prioritise accessibility and universal service, private operators may focus on efficiency and financial sustainability.
Several participants discussed inclusion through a supply chain perspective, emphasising how the impacts of DPI can be manifest in different ways across at various levels of society. This multi-level impact perspective offers a promising framework for understanding inclusion beyond simple binary measures of access. The community suggested examining how different populations interact with these systems, with particular attention to the concrete limiting factors that determine how these interactions shape user access to essential services.
Private Sector Dimensions
The community brought attention to the often-overlooked role of the private sector in DPI ecosystems, emphasising that measurement frameworks should examine market impacts alongside citizen outcomes. Participants discussed how DPI systems in countries like India have enabled new authentication services for credit and insurance markets, suggesting that effective measurement must capture these broader economic effects. An important dimension raised was how DPI democratises opportunities for small and medium businesses. The discussion explored how digital infrastructure can lower barriers to market entry, create new commercial opportunities, and potentially transform business environments, effects that traditional citizen-focused metrics might miss.
Moving Forward
The introductory session demonstrated a clear demand for more in-depth discussions around DPI measurements practices. Our Community of Practice is committed to advancing the field of DPI measurement through focused, practitioner-led discussions.
Join Our Next Session
Mark your calendar for April 8th to participate in our next discussion on inclusive DPI measurement. Share your expertise and learn from fellow practitioners working to evaluate digital ecosystems.
Get in touch
To register your interest in contributing to future discussion sessions of the CoP complete the registration form here.
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