Surabhi Hodigere - Governance Playbook for Digital Public Goods

Governance Playbook for Digital Public Goods by Surabhi Hodigere

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Abstract: Inspired by the open-source movement, Digital Public Goods are not only non-rivalrous, but sharing them across jurisdictions could lower costs, speed adoption, and create standards to facilitate cooperation and trade. However, the joint management of any resource between sovereign entities—particularly of key infrastructure for the maintenance of public goods and services offered by the state—carries with it significant questions of governance. A team of researchers based at the Ash Center within the Harvard Kennedy School are publishing a report that proposes five governance best practices for DPGs—Codifying a Mission, Vision and Value Statement, Drafting a Code of Conduct, Designing Governance Bodies, Ensuring Stakeholder Voice and Representation, and Engaging External Contributors. These five recommendations seek to nurture institutions that will create public value, possess legitimacy, and maintain the necessary support and operational capacity.

Bio: Surabhi Hodigere is a Master in Public Policy candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She is a research assistant at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance where she works with a research team led by lecturer David Eaves on various projects pertinent to digital era government.

Surabhi is from Bengaluru, India and has previously worked as a civic-technology entrepreneur.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/surabhihodigere

Presented at the 2021 Government & Public Sector R Conference (December 10, 2021)