One-stop shops have emerged as critical intermediary institutions in digitising governance systems, bridging the gap between digital states and citizens who lack access to devices, connectivity, or digital skills. This study examines how these spaces — their organisational design and frontline workers — either enable inclusion or reproduce exclusion in access to digital public services. Drawing on qualitative, case-based methods including interviews with policymakers, service providers, and citizens, the research informs debates on Digital Public Infrastructure and equitable digital governance.
Researchers: Miguel Loureiro; Syeda Salina Aziz; Asif M. Shahan, PhD; Taslima Aktar; Raihan Ahamed; and Sadman Mujtoba Rafid
Partner: IDS
Timeline: 2025–2026
Status: Ongoing
Contact: Taslima Aktar, Senior Research Associate; taslima.41@bracu.ac.bd
Context
The study is situated within broader global and national transitions toward digital governance, with particular attention to contexts such as Digital Bangladesh. While digitalisation promises efficiency and transparency, it also risks excluding ‘analog citizens’ who lack access to devices, connectivity, or digital skills — leaving them unable to access public services they are entitled to. One-stop shops emerge as critical interfaces within Digital Public Infrastructure, mediating between state systems and citizens who cannot navigate digital channels independently. Understanding their role — and the discretion exercised by the frontline workers staffing them — is essential for assessing whether digitalisation advances inclusive governance or deepens existing inequalities.
Objectives
This study aims to examine how one-stop shops function as intermediary institutions between digital states and digitally marginalised citizens, analysing how their organisational design and frontline workers either enable or reproduce exclusion in accessing digital public services. It seeks to understand the mediating role of these spaces within Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and assess whether digitalisation advances inclusive governance or deepens existing inequalities. The findings will contribute to broader debates on state–citizen interaction and inform policy recommendations for more equitable digital governance systems.
Methodology
This study employs a qualitative, case-based research methodology to examine how one-stop shops function as intermediary institutions between digital states and non-digital or digitally marginalised populations. Data will be collected through semi-structured key informant interviews with policymakers and system designers, in-depth interviews with frontline service providers, and interviews with citizens who rely on one-stop shops to access digital public services, complemented by a review of relevant policy and operational documents. A purposive sampling strategy is used to select diverse service sites and participants, and the data are analysed using thematic analysis to identify patterns related to mediation, discretion, inclusion, and exclusion within digital governance systems. Ethical standards, including informed consent and confidentiality, are strictly maintained throughout the research process.
Findings and Recommendations
Forthcoming.
