A new programme at the Blavatnik School of Government developed with the involvement of researchers who lead Oxford Martin School programmes will investigate the effects of digital public infrastructure (DPI) on inclusion and wellbeing in low- and middle-income countries, initially focusing on Ethiopia.

As our business continues to be increasingly conducted online, digital public infrastructure such as data exchange mechanisms and payment platforms is essential if people are to access services and participate economically.

To help meet this challenge, the University of Oxford has received funding from Co-Develop to establish the Oxford Digital Public Infrastructure Research Lab (OxDPI), which will be part of the Centre for the Study of African Economies (CSAE) at the Blavatnik School of Government. In many countries, including through the 50-in-5 campaign, digital public infrastructure is being deployed in order to increasingly take public service and activity online.

The lab’s research aims to understand the impact of this on inclusion and the wellbeing of those countries’ populations. This includes examining how the infrastructure affects various sectors as well as societal outcomes such as financial access, social protection and refugee integration.

Faculty member Professor Stefan Dercon will co-direct the lab with Dr Christian Meyer – both are directors of several Oxford Martin School programmes. The initial focus will be Ethiopia’s Fayda system, a digital ID initiative aiming to register all residents by 2026. In collaboration with the World Bank’s Identification for Development (ID4D) team, the project will coordinate research efforts between the Ethiopian government, the World Bank, and Ethiopian and international researchers.

‘Generating systematic evidence on DPI’s impacts in low- and middle-income countries is crucial,’ said Professor Dercon.

‘Our research in Ethiopia and elsewhere will critically examine the transformative potential of digital public infrastructure, while also assessing whether deployments truly advance inclusion or potentially create new forms of exclusion.’

‘Our aim is to support “public good” activities that not only benefit Oxford’s research but also make it easier for other researchers to study the impacts of Fayda in Ethiopia”, said Dr Meyer.

‘This includes advocating for randomised roll-out designs where feasible and coordinating shared data collection activities that can support studies in various areas, such as financial inclusion, social protection, and public service delivery.’