Page 60 - Building digital public infrastructure for cities and communities

for DPI sustainability. Governments should prioritize the creation of institutional support structures,
including national Open-Source Programme Offices (OSPOs), innovation accelerators and civic
hack labs that localize global DPGs for national and municipal use.

DPI flourishes in environments in which innovation is actively encouraged but carefully governed.
Governments must act as enablers, opening space for experimentation (e.g., open-source
implementation), while maintaining regulatory oversight to ensure that public interest remains
paramount. Several mechanisms have proven effective in this regard. These include establishing
regulatory sandboxes and dedicated funding streams to test experimental solutions such as GovTech
challenges or innovation sprints. Infrastructure development can be enhanced through strategic
partnerships with private-sector actors, provided these arrangements incorporate safeguards to
prevent monopolistic control and ensure long-term public ownership.

The true strength of DPI lies not only in its technical architecture but also in its capacity to act
as a platform for continuous innovation. International experiences affirm this logic. In Sweden,
collaboration between banks and technologists led to the rapid scaling of Swish, a real-time
payments platform. In China, municipal governments integrated Alipay into public service delivery
systems, streamlining access to transit and health benefits. These examples demonstrate that when
public and private sectors align through shared DPI strategies, service delivery becomes faster, more
responsive and more inclusive.

To institutionalize innovation within DPI ecosystems, ministries should establish permanent
public-sector testbeds, regulatory sandboxes and innovation labs that leverage open data. The
European Union’s Interoperable Europe framework (European Commission, 2017) provides a strong
precedent, encouraging governments to publish datasets and APIs for use by researchers, start-ups
and civic technologists. At the same time, public procurement policies must be updated to reward
contributions to open-source technologies and reusable digital building blocks.

Ultimately, DPI’s value lies not only in connecting systems, but in connecting people, ideas and
institutions through collaborative innovation. Governments that embed these principles into their
digital strategies will be better equipped to deliver responsive, rights-based and future-proof
public services.

8.5 Development of an enabling regulatory and a business-friendly environment

Regulatory environments often determine whether DPI can scale and sustain impact. Forward-
leaning legal frameworks have consistently enabled DPI innovation by providing certainty and
clarity for public and private actors. A supportive regulatory framework is thus not merely beneficial
but foundational to DPI’s long-term viability. Such a framework must be underpinned by open
standards, legally protected data portability, non-discriminatory access to core infrastructure and
“light-touch” yet enforceable oversight. These elements collectively promote competition, reduce
vendor lock-in and foster innovation. European programmes like Digital Europe illustrate how

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