## Stacking up the Benefits: Lessons from India’s Digital Journey

_IMF Working Papers, March 31, 2023_

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## Bibliographic details
- Authors: Cristian Alonso, Tanuj Bhojwani, Emine Hanedar, Dinar Prihardini, Gerardo Uña, Kateryna Zhabska
- Published: March 31, 2023
- Series: IMF Working Papers
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400240416.001

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### Summary
- Foundational digital public infrastructure (DPI), consisting of unique digital identification, payments system and data exchange layer has the potential to support the transformation of the economy and support inclusive growth.
- India’s foundational DPI, called India Stack, has been harnessed to foster innovation and competition, expand markets, close gaps in financial inclusion, boost government revenue collection and improve public expenditure efficiency.
- India’s journey in developing a world-class DPI highlights powerful lessons for other countries embarking on their own digital transformation, in particular a design approach that focuses on shared building blocks and supporting innovation across the ecosystem.

### Key findings
- India Stack — a combination of unique digital identification, payments system and data exchange layer — has been used to:
  - foster innovation and competition;
  - expand markets;
  - close gaps in financial inclusion;
  - boost government revenue collection;
  - improve public expenditure efficiency.
- The design approach emphasizing shared building blocks and support for ecosystem-wide innovation is central to the successful deployment and use of DPI.

### Policy lessons and implications
- Prioritize a design approach that focuses on shared building blocks to enable interoperability and reuse across services.
- Support innovation across the ecosystem to leverage DPI for private-sector development and public-service delivery.
- Use foundational DPI to address financial inclusion, revenue collection, and public expenditure efficiency.

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## Content in this bundle

- **Working Paper**
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_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2023/03/31/stacking-up-the-benefits-lessons-from-indias-digital-journey-531692_