An open platform centric approach for scalable government service delivery to the poor: The Aadhaar case

Abstract

The efficient delivery of government services to the poor, or Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP), faces many challenges. While a core problem is the lack of scalability, that could be solved by the rapid proliferation of platforms and associated ecosystems. Existing research involving platforms focus on modularity, openness, ecosystem leadership and governance, as well as on their impact on innovation, scale and agility. However, existing studies fail to explore the role of platform in scalable e-government services delivery on an empirical level. Based on an in-depth case study of the world's largest biometric identity platform, used by millions of the poor in India, we develop a set of propositions connecting the attributes of a digital platform ecosystem to different indicators for the scalability of government service delivery. We found that modular architecture, combined with limited functionality in core modules, and open standards combined with controlled access and ecosystem governance enabled by keystone behaviour, have a positive impact on scalability. The research provides insights to policymakers and government officials alike, particularly those in nations struggling to provide basic services to poor and marginalised. This is also one of the few studies to apply platform theory empirically to the e-government domain.

Degenerative outcomes of digital identity platforms for development

“…While adopting a minimal approach, where only essential biometric and demographic data are collected (Mukhopadhyay et al, 2019), Aadhaar involves all three functions of identification, authentication and authorisation of a digital identity platform (Nyst et al, 2016), as illustrated in Figure 2. Through CIDR, the Indian government acts as identity provider, enrolling third-parties who can build complements on Aadhaar through boundary resources.…”

“…To the existing literature, research on digital platforms for development adds new foci such as the roles of digital platforms in decentralising the delivery of social assistance (Madon, Ranjini, Anantha Krishnan, & Babu, 2019), generating inclusive development models (Addo & Senyo, 2021) and improving refugee management (Madon & Schoemaker, forthcoming). In a review of digital platforms for development literature, Bonina et al (2021) Together, these questions point to how research on digital platforms for development departs from the predominant focus on the private sector in the global North (Addo & Senyo, 2021;Mir, Kar, Dwivedi, Gupta, & Sharma, 2020;Mukhopadhyay, Bouwman, & Jaiswal, 2019) and is driven by an alternative logic that centres human development over profit optimisation (Masiero & Nicholson, 2020). This discontinuity is well reflected in recent ICT4D research on digital platforms that emphasise their implications for socio-economic development (Bonina et al, 2021;Koskinen et al, 2018Koskinen et al, , 2019Nicholson et al, 2019).…”

Beyond Access: Reconceptualizing Digital Identification and Inclusion Through the Case of Aadhaar

“…Access (n=18) Chamuah, 2018, Chaudhuri & König, 2018, Dandurand, 2019, Drèze et al, 2017, Ghosh, 2017, Ghosh, 2018, Khera, 2017, Khera, 2018, Kotwal et al, 2017, Mir U.B et al,, 2019, Mukherjee & Sahay, 2019, Mukhopadhyay et al, 2019, Patankar, 2017, Rao, 2019, Seetharaman & Pant, 2018, Srivastava & Sharma, 2017 Abraham & Rajadhyaksha, 2015, Baxi, 2019, Bhatia & Bhabha, 2017, Chaudhuri, 2019, Jayal, 2019, Mali & Avila-Maravilla, 2018, Masiero, 2016, Masiero, 2018, Nair, 2018, Parikh, 2013, Sivamalai, 2013 Abraham, 2018, Avgerou & Addo, 2017, Cohen, 2019, Cohen, 2019, Dattani, 2019, Jayaprakash & Pillai, 2018, Masiero, 2015, Mukunthan & Agarwal, 2019, Rao, 2019, Sengupta & Shastri, 2019, Singh, 2019 Empowerment/ Emancipation (n=2) Breckenridge, 2019,Singh, 2019 Aadhaar's dual mandates of residents' enrollment and application to services through authentication (UIDAI, 2010) are oriented toward providing access through a technical-rational understanding that views the lack of (access to) a unique means of legal identification, and its associated...…”

“…From an engineering perspective, the design of the Aadhaar is based on platform principles of openness, scalability, and evolvability. The modular design of Aadhaar infrastructure, along with limited functionality in its core module, and open interfaces combined with tightly controlled access and centralized ecosystem governance enabled rapid scalability and overall implementation success (Mukhopadhyay, Bouwman, & Jaiswal, 2019). Scalability is important because each enrollment requires authentication and biometric deduplication from the vast database in a manner that is efficient and cost-effective.…”

Development of the e-Government in the Context of the 2020 Pandemics

“…Platforms connect providers and consumers of information and services, organizing network interactions, thereby acting as a tool in the public administration system (Janssen and Estevez 2013 ; Mukhopadhyay et al 2019 ), increase overall efficiency of the service production and delivery (O'Reilly 2011 ; Walravens and Ballon 2013 ), extend different values associated with public services (Cordella and Bonina 2012 ; Bannister and Connolly 2014 ).…”