November Digital Matters

This month’s Digital Matters–our monthly round-up of news, research, events, and notable uses of tech–focuses on the digital transformation efforts underway from the federal to local level. In thinking about the future and the transition to a second Trump administration, it is critical that upgrading traditional infrastructure—our nation’s roads, transit systems, utility grids, and broadband networks—remains an area of bipartisan agreement. But there is also an urgent need to focus on transforming our country’s digital infrastructure. Ideally, supporting a more open, interoperable, and trusted ecosystem driven to better serve the public interest.

We recently released a new research collection, Infrastructure for the Digital Age, examining the factors—both domestic and global—that could shape the implementation of DPI in the United States. We asked 16 public interest technology experts to explore whether DPI could serve as a foundational approach for a safer, more resilient digital ecosystem in the United States and beyond. Their answers are fascinating, encompass a lot of terrain, and in some cases have a different interpretation of the P in DPI (see Tang and Noveck’s approach to digital participation infrastructure).

Although much of the DPI collection was compiled and written before the election, we closely reviewed it after and feel like it accurately reflects the opportunities and challenges. Many of which aren’t impacted by who is in the White House. But still, there are many unknowns about priorities and how (or if) the new administration will pursue their intent to reform public serving institutions. Our colleagues across the tech and democracy programs have ideas for the incoming administration on how technology can be leveraged to “strengthen public services, bolster democratic institutions, drive innovative solutions to complex global issues, create shared prosperity and economic opportunity, and foster connections among individuals and communities worldwide.”

This month, we are also dedicated to highlighting articles that take a big-picture view on how different approaches or frameworks for DPI can shape the direction of policy goals, design of regulatory mechanisms, and priorities in government.

Lastly, we narrow our view to how state and local digital service teams (DSTs) have hit the ground running with pilot projects, workforce training, and more, aimed toward strengthening digital transformation efforts to strengthen communities and improve public facing services. There is still time to register for FormFest 2024 (virtual event, 12/4/24) to learn more about strengthening government digital services-presented by the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation and Code for America.

Various Approaches to Digital Public Infrastructure

In addition to our research collection, Infrastructure for the Digital Age, we are spotlighting two related pieces published in Tech Policy Press.

Landscaping Infrastructures for the Digital Ecosystem by Avani Airan, Tech Policy Press (November 8, 2024)

Growing market concentration and private control of digital technologies has led to substantial concerns about power imbalances in technological development and the role of the state in correcting these imbalances. In this article, Airan highlights that these concerns and prevailing ways of thinking about technology can often push governments to rely on top-down governance structures. But recharacterizing digital technologies under the framework of infrastructure can help shift the conversation to include different modalities of regulation, including bottom-up governance mechanisms. For instance, infrastructure governance can come in combinations of executive, judicial, or legislative actions, as well as the public’s response to those actions. Community-lead initiatives that enable people to voice their concerns about digital technologies are the types of bottom-up mechanisms that are often forgotten in conversations around governance.

What is Digital Public Infrastructure? Towards More Specificity by Mila Samdub and Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci, Tech Policy Press (November 25, 2024)

Thought leaders in the field of DPI spend a lot of time debating the definition of DPI and often envision different futures for the field. The authors of this article look at the fuzziness of DPI’s definition and the challenges that can be created for policymakers who are tasked with crafting precise policy goals. They lay out the two major analogies that dominate the field: DPI-as-roads and DPI-as-radio. Both of these metaphors can point in different directions in terms of scale, participation, regulation, and centralization. Ultimately, they argue that a failure to untangle these definitions may lead to bottlenecks or miss the full picture of how DPI is applied in different contexts.

Digital Service Teams – Insights and Recommendations

While high-level strategies for digital public infrastructure set the stage, it's the on-the-ground efforts of Digital Service Teams (DSTs) that bring these visions to life. This month we saw how recent initiatives and insights from DSTs are driving digital transformation and enhancing public services at the state and local levels.

Government Digital Service Team Tracker, Digital Gov Hub (November 2024)

The Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University launched the Government Digital Service Team Tracker, a database for government digital service teams (DSTs) across the United States. DSTs are in-house teams of digital practitioners with expertise in areas such as, user-centered research, agile product management, and data-driven decision making. They have proliferated across the country over the last decade, but the placement of these teams into existing organizational structures as well as their funding mechanisms vary. To better investigate the ever-increasing number of U.S.-based government DSTs and their varied structures, the Digital Service Network (DSN) will maintain this Tracker.

What works in training government partners: insights and recommendations by Amy Martin, Medium (November 7, 2024)

As these transformation initiatives unfold at all levels of government, workplace training has become an important topic of discussion. In this article, leaders from San Francisco’s and Philadelphia’s digital service teams (DSTs) present their research findings on best practices for training government partners in technology adoption. They conclude that training can be a pathway to build trust, better lines of communication, and more effective tech transformation efforts.

Ahead of new administration, remaining agile is key, Code For America CEO says by Sophia Fox-Sowell, StateScoop (November 15, 2024)

As the presidential transition unfolds, CEO of Code for America, Amanda Renteria shares insights on the importance of agility and innovation for government service delivery, especially for low-income communities. She shares lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, where government agencies at all levels were forced to make digital access a priority for constituents. States like Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan, and Utah began modernizing their data capabilities and safety net programs, ensuring that their systems are prepared for emerging technologies like AI. States like Washington, Virginia, and California have also worked to advance AI research with task forces or commissions through legislation that addresses the risks that AI poses to the workforce. Renteria attributes the success of these modernization efforts to the relationship that agencies have built with state legislatures, demonstrating the critical importance of aligning policy with technology.

Benefits Playbook: Designing Human-Centered Applications, Code for America (November 2024)

Building on Renteria’s discussion, Code for America released the Benefits Playbook. Complex application processes and poorly designed websites can create barriers to enrollment and utilization of public benefits. They designed the playbook to better equip practitioners with best practices for making applications easier and more simple to access. It includes design recommendations for mobile device applications and best practices for language and web accessibility, among a diverse set of topics.

Digital Cities 2024: Advancing Responsible AI and Customer-Focused Innovation by Pamela Martineau, GovTech (November 6, 2024)

The Center for Digital Government announced the winners of their 2024 Digital Cities Survey, showcasing cities across the U.S. that are making strides in digital equity for their residents. From Marietta, Georgia’s effort to secure their physical infrastructure from cyber threats, to San Diego, California’s expansion of digital literacy training, cities are reimagining digital public infrastructure across many dimensions. Notable accomplishments also include South Bend, Indiana’s traffic calming request tool built on resident input and Scottsdale, Arizona’s ethical AI usage training. These endeavors have taken shape through multi-stakeholder partnerships between universities, nonprofits, and more, allowing cities to leverage different backgrounds to tackle complex challenges facing public services.

Register for FormFest 2024 (December 4, 2024)

Our friends with Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation and Code for America are hosting this free virtual event on December 4th 2024. It will be online from 12 - 5 pm ET. FormFest showcases governments working to make services accessible to everyone through online forms. Discover best practices and tools that are shaping the future of form design and service delivery.