The term Government as a Platform (GaaP) has been around since it was coined by Tim O’Reilly in 2011. In the 2019, Playbook: Government as a Platform, Pope describes GaaP as the ‘…whole ecosystem of shared APIs and components, open-standards and canonical datasets, the services built on top of them, and the governance processes that keep the wider system safe and accountable (Pope, 2019)’.
Since then a number of governments and researchers have unpacked the subject and extolled its virtues. They have talked about a new level of government openness, modularisation and co-creation to achieve efficient and user-friendly public services.
While most agree on the underpinning building blocks required for GaaP, there are differing ideas around how ‘the case for GaaP’ could be made to key stakeholders such as senior officials and politicians.
The reality is that GaaP is a new way of looking at Government and how, what, and for whom it operates. Some argue that it is a completely new paradigm (which it could be), whereas others posit that an incrementalist description is more realistic.
Both views are ‘right’ however they can rapidly evolve into a muddied narrative that fails to obtain and maintain the level of political sponsorship required for change. Political ideologies, machinery of government models and funding cycles can all serve to thwart the right conversations.
Anticipating these challenges, Pope (2019) helpfully discusses strategies that could be used to describe GaaP in order to build the support needed. This includes finding an analogy or visual description that simplifies what is an inherently complex subject in a helpful way.
Digital building blocks
It may be helpful to describe GaaP as being made up of a number of building blocks that need to be put together in a logical interconnected way. This highlights the modular and reusable aspects of digital platforms and the choices that can be made in the creation of complex systems.
The Government Digital Service in the UK has used the concept of building blocks that can be broken down into smaller components. Each block does one job. It then makes it easier to connect blocks together, build coherently, and scale them up as demand increases.
Building blocks can also be helpful when considering GaaP as an ecosystem. Different parties can contribute to specific blocks including public, private and non-government entities. Vendor lock in can also be avoided when a more modular approach is adopted.
The comparison with physical infrastructure
GaaP can also be thought of like the physical infrastructure every government needs to provide (or facilitate the provision of) for a functioning society. Much of this infrastructure is not seen (such as utilities) but allows services to be built above it and then provided to users. Physical infrastructure is built to serve the needs of its users and is highly interconnected. Just as running ‘siloed’ physical infrastructure in an urban environment would be seem absurd, so is the idea of siloed digital infrastructure within government.
A modern technology stack
The motivation for pursuing a modern GaaP approach can be found by looking outside government. Large technology companies like Microsoft, Google, and services like AirBnB and Uber use modern digital platforms to run their businesses. They follow a platform approach that provides an easy, consistent, reliable experience to their customers by seamlessly connecting different parts of the service offering behind the scenes.
At a very individual level, the technology used by many common digital services highlight what government could do too. The way Uber can connect the user, location data, the driver, the trusted payment system etc so seamlessly – makes citizens question why government cannot do the same. To take the technology analogy further, at scale GaaP can be compared to an ‘Operating System’ for society, providing the framework for various services and applications to function efficiently.
The burning platform
While digital government should never be seen as a ‘silver bullet’ to complex challenges, digital ways of thinking can bring a fresh perspective than may help to navigate them. What burning platforms does government currently have that need a comprehensive ongoing response? Issues such as climate change or entrenched socio-economic conditions of sub-populations requires a ‘whole of government’ response that crosses traditional agency boundaries. GaaP could offer a new ways of thinking about the challenge and imagining how it could be approached.
International comparative advantage
Most governments want to be advanced and ‘world leading’ and have a comparative advantage over other countries. Using international references can help give a sense of where a government sits relative to others and whether it is a leader or is falling behind. International benchmarks help to set goals and stay true to the journey of continuous improvement.
There are plenty of international examples highlighting ‘aspects’ of GaaP, from the United Kingdom with its digital platforms delivering services, to Estonia’s X-Road and use of digital identity, Singapore’s "Smart Nation" initiative, or Denmark’s joined up digital services.
End-to-end service design
Promoting the idea that significantly better government services could be possible under the GaaP model is a compelling narrative. GaaP suggests services could be designed around the needs of citizens rather than the organizational structure of government and allow an ‘end to end’ design.
Another way to consider this is as a ‘One-Stop Shop’ where citizens can access a wide range of government information and services in an easy, convenient and joined up manner. The ‘shop’ could be a closely integrated service or more of an eco-system of connected services that are presented in a user-friendly interface.
Institutional reform for the digital age
There is frequently a view within the public, politicians, and (truthful) officials, that government is generally a little sluggish, self-important, and struggles to keep up with societies changing needs. GaaP offers a completely different paradigm that questions current government design that proliferates standalone functions focused on the delivery of one service. It notes how these siloed service functions do not reflect the reality of citizen user needs and/or the complex cross cutting functional response required with contemporary issues.
If government was being designed today it would not coalesce around siloed government departments with their inbuilt self protection mechanisms. GaaP proposes an open, simpler, user centred approach. Such a mindset inevitably leads many to believe in the need for complete institutional revolution, and while GaaP provides a north star of sorts, digital offers the opportunity to override many of these constraints without institutional bonfires. In a softer vision of GaaP, the comparison can be made to online social networks where citizens connect with their government for government services, benefits, and information in a user-friendly and accessible way.
Summary
Governments seeking to build towards GaaP have numerous ways to make the case in an engaging and helpful way. Analogies can explain complex ideas quickly and there are numerous international cases studies that highlight the benefits. Talking about the opportunity GaaP is the first step and this should organically initiate the narrative that works for the context.
References
O'Reilly, Tim. (2011). Government as a Platform. Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization. 6. 13-40. 10.1162/INOV_a_00056.
Pope, Richard (2019). Playbook: Government as a Platform. Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
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