Beeck Center Launches Landscape Scan of Digital Public Goods Use in Government

Why It Matters 

The frequency of governments using digital public goods (DPGs) in the delivery of public services has been steadily growing across the globe in recent years. While governments and philanthropic organizations have encouraged more international use of DPGs, there is still limited awareness and utilization of DPGs in the United States, where state, territorial, and tribal governments could be benefiting from them as they replace and update digital systems for public service applications. DPGs offer governments opportunities to provide transparent, safe, trustworthy, and inclusive services; lower costs; and spur innovation.

The Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University has launched a research agenda to support a deeper understanding of conditions shaping the delivery of digital services by U.S. state, territorial, and tribal governments, and how DPGs can help improve how those governments deliver services and engage citizens.

First, what DPGs exist and are being deployed and (re)used successfully by and for government services? 

We created an accessible, open dataset that documents where and how 50 DPGs are being used to support delivery of public services both internationally and domestically. 

This research initiative serves as a foundation for the Beeck Center to provide robust, evidence-based guidance that can be utilized in efforts to deliver public services at the state, local, territorial, and tribal level.

 

What You Need To Know 

In building this dataset we sought to address the following questions:

• Which entities develop, steward, and/or share DPGs in use by governments, internationally and domestically?
• Who are their target beneficiaries? Who deploys or (re)uses these DPGs successfully?
• How do organizations involved in stewarding and sharing DPGs structure governance?
• How do these organizations finance ongoing development and maintenance of their products?

We performed a comprehensive desk research/literature review analyzing websites, reports, and case studies to identify DPG-sharing entities and their beneficiaries, followed by validation calls, additional review, and analysis. 

 

How to use it 

We have developed two key resources from this research. 

1. Dataset: Database of DPGs in use by governments, including information about their development, governance, and funding. 
2. Dashboard: Visualization of the key trends and themes in the dataset.

In building and releasing these resources publicly, we hope to:

• Create an easy-to-consult and updatable resource documenting the landscape of DPGs in use by governments; 
• Make it easier for state and territorial agencies, advocates, technology implementers, and federal agencies to understand the scope and increasing potential of DPGs in public service delivery; and 
• Expand our own understanding of the trends and characteristics of the varied solutions available in the DPG market. 

 

 

We want to hear from you 

We are publishing this dataset openly and publicly at this stage of our research to share knowledge and also to solicit feedback and engagement. This data represents a point in time, and we intend to add to it frequently. We hope that people who utilize the dataset will help ensure the accuracy of the data, fill in gaps, conduct their own analyses, and share ideas for further extensions of this work.

We welcome general or specific feedback about the dataset or specific feedback about DPGs in use by governments currently included or not yet included in this dataset via our designated feedback form.

 

 

Visit the Glossary for shared context and definitions when reviewing research outputs.