New institutions are continuously being created at local to global scales, and older institutions are adapting. The TIAL library of illustration cases will bring together short overviews of some of the new and updated institutional options for addressing key environmental, societal, and technological challenges. Some of the cases are about one or more organizations; others are about different process building blocks for achieving a particular institutional capability (such as the ability to consider long time horizons). The cases provide a quick overview of options and innovations — they seek to provoke optimism and imagination for those in the process of creating or updating institutions. TIAL Illustration Cases serve as examples of institutions and processes that aim to tackle some of the societal challenges we’re facing today. In the case descriptions, “context” describes the societal demand/challenge and the case itself gives visibility on the premises, decision choices and impact of the illustrative institution or process.
Context
Digital transformation, particularly for public services, has been a development nearly entirely of the 21st century, with increased internet penetration in most societies as well as the advent of cloud-based storage capable of maintaining and relating billions (or trillions) of records. Digital transformation for identity management and access to government have led to both a massive increase in the proportion of populations that can now access services.
Aadhar (India) and DIIA (Ukraine).
This illustration case reviews two digital transformation building blocks: Aadhar in India, which provides portable identities secured by biometrics, and DIIA in Ukraine, which has been called a model for e-government services around the world.
Aadhar
Origin
In 2009, the Indian government created the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in order to establish a system through which residents of India could readily verify their identity. At the time when it was introduced, proving one’s identity in order to secure government benefits, a bank account, or in other contexts could be a challenge. By some measures, at that point, roughly 40% of Indians did not have a record of their birth, 30% could not read or write their own names, 3% paid income taxes, and fewer than half of those below the poverty line had ration cards, while up to half of the cards that did exist were fraudulent.
Purpose
UIDAI chose to focus on the core challenge of simply allowing an individual to readily prove their identity rather than combining identity with additional attributes. This focus avoided some potential privacy hazards by separating identity verification from other aspects of information about an individual. Providing a unique identity for each individual has required ongoing investment in the accuracy of de-duplication: verifying that an individual being enrolled is not already in the system and that an individual presenting an identity is not mistaken for another. The unique identification numbers are secured by biometrics.
Design
UIDAI is a statutory authority and department, equivalent to a cabinet-level position within India’s government. It was established in 2016 under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Its leadership is composed of a Chairperson (equivalent to cabinet minister), two part-time members, and a Chief Executive. Aadhar numbers identify residency, not citizenship, and do not themselves convey rights, entitlements, or benefits.
Performance & Impacts
Currently, over 99% of adults in India are registered for an Aadhar number. Aadhar has been used by both the central and state governments in India as identity verification for citizen services as wide-reaching as passport issuance, direct benefits transfer via electronic funds to Aadhar-linked bank accounts, voter registration records, land ownership, and prison registries. Following several years of increasing requirements from both public and private sector actors to provide Aadhar numbers to access services, the Supreme Court of India ruled in 2017 that privacy is a fundamental right. A subsequent 2018 ruling limited firms’ ability to require Aadhar while allowing the government to continue to require it as a proof-of-identity for receiving services.
Aadhar does not remain without controversy. Datasets that combine Aadhar numbers with other personal details have been compiled and leaked; journalists and activists have uncovered efforts to sell such information. Identity verification does not always succeed, and at times, incorrect records of identity and eligibility have led to documented cases of denial of benefits causing harm.
DIIA
Origin
Diia is the state brand for digital government services in Ukraine that emerged out of President Volodomyr Zelensky’s ambition for a “country in a smartphone” — a concept describing the digitalization of his government and the government’s relationship with citizens. This concept reflects complementary demands — a demand for digitization from younger generations as well as for better systems and controls to combat corruption. Diia is managed by the Ministry for Digital Transformation, which was established only in August 2019.
Purpose
The Ministry for Digital Transformation (MDT) appears to have been primarily established to action the “country in a smartphone” plan, which describes moving 100% of government services online by 2024 as well as increasing state-provided or -facilitated high-speed internet services to 95% of populated areas. In addition to managing the smartphone app Diia, which provides a central point for accessing digital services, the MDT has applied the Diia brand to the online state portal for public services (accessible on the web) and programs for digital education/digital literacy, and business and export subsidies and tax programs. The MDT is also charged with increasing the share of IT services in Ukraine’s GDP to 10%.
Design
The MDT Chief serves at the level of Deputy Minister and Vice Prime Minister, facilitating coordination across other Ministries for digitization. A key aspect of the program is European Integration, as Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 led to the flight of millions of Ukrainians to other nations in Europe. The design of the Diia app itself presents a case of creative, user-centric design. The MDT Chief describes utilizing a small team of only 25 developers, who approached the problem of building an app with a customer (constituent) centric mindset.
Performance & Impacts
As of May 2023, the Diia application was installed on 70% of smartphones in Ukraine. The app and other aspects of the “country in a smartphone” plan are now considered models for other nations attempting the same, with the United States Agency for International Development facilitating similar efforts in other countries and Estonia using part of Diia’s code for its highly digitized government services. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the rollout of services from government and adoption by citizens, while Russia’s full-scale invasion has led to new services and use cases such as reporting invasion force locations, digital evacuation packets/checkpoint passes, and rapid digital applications for damage compensation. A key feature of Diia and digital government is the reduction or removal of human agency in activities prone to corruption. By automating and digitizing processes for applications and payments, there are stronger protections against exploitation by officials, as well as digital paper trails for foreign funds.
By Eva Louise Martin, with editorial inputs from Jessica Seddon
