Digital Public Infrastructures: New Avenues in Digital Development

This paper argues that Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) represents new avenues in the digital development field by reframing key concepts and renewing critical debates. First, it reimagines digital leapfrogging from a Global South perspective by emphasizing the role of local digital ecosystems and scalable, society-wide digital building blocks. These components enable countries to bypass traditional development stages and foster inclusive digital economies. Second, DPI brings issues such as digital sovereignty and societal control of the digital sphere to the forefront of the digital development agenda, challenging the dominance of profit-driven platforms. The paper contributes to ongoing discussions by positioning DPI as a new approach that aims to promote public governance, equitable access, and sustainable digital growth.