UIDAI's Public Policy Innovations

Ram Sewak Sharma ()
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Ram Sewak Sharma: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

Working Papers from National Institute of Public Finance and Policy

Abstract: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) was mandated to issue unique identification numbers to every resident of India. The Authority has largely accomplished this mandate in a short time and within budget because it took many innovative and bold decisions. The first innovative decision we consider, in this paper, is the UIDAI's decision to add iris images to the set of biometrics collected by it. Another innovation of the UIDAI was its practice of conducting on-field trials. The last innovation we consider relates to how the UIDAI promoted competition and standardisation. The success of the UIDAI offers lessons for other government projects. Government processes need not prevent it from taking innovative decisions. High-quality procurement and project management skills can help the government outsource many functions that are currently housed within it. Testing major hypotheses through field trials before launching projects at scale can help ensure best use of public resources.

Keywords: Aadhaar; UIDAI; Biometrics; Iris recognition; Identity; Authentication; Digital ID (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D47 L32 L33 L38 O31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 19
Date: 2016-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ino, nep-ppm and nep-sog
Note: Working Paper 176, 2016
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