| Abstract: |
India is at the forefront of the use of digital technology to transform the
way in which citizens interact with states. This paper provides a picture of
the perceived impact of digitization reforms in Rajasthan, based on a survey
of beneficiaries of several benefit programs. We find that, on balance, the
reforms appear to have improved perceptions of service delivery despite some
difficulties during the digitization process and the possibility—which we
cannot fully assess with our data—that there could have been some degree of
exclusion. The proportion of people preferring the new systems, at 40–60
percent, far exceeded the proportion who expressed a preference for the old
system (5–12 percent). In the case of food and cooking gas subsidy reforms,
the reason for the preference is relatively clear—they considered that the new
systems gave them greater control over their entitlements and reduced the
ability of others to claim their benefits or divert them. The main problems
arise from biometric authentication. Shifting pensions from postal delivery to
bank deposits is overwhelmingly supported, partly because of better
regularity. Reforms in Rajasthan also had two cross-cutting goals: financial
inclusion and women’s empowerment. Our survey confirms that virtually all
respondents have bank accounts, often two or more per family, as do all heads
of household who are officially mandated to be women. Two thirds of these
women had not owned bank accounts before the reforms. Mobiles emerge, however,
as a male preserve. This suggests a further frontier for policies and programs
to shift India towards a digital society—ensuring that all people have the
capacity to access and to use digital technology. |