CivicSabha 2.0 - Harnessing Data Exchange to Drive Economic Growth and Inclusion

As digital economies increasingly rely on data-driven systems, the ability to securely exchange and reuse data across institutions has become critical for effective governance and inclusive economic growth. CivicDataLab (CDL), in collaboration with Dalberg, convened a roundtable discussion titled "Harnessing Data Exchange to Drive Economic Growth and Inclusion" as part of CivicSabha 2.0. The session brought together policymakers, researchers, technologists, and development practitioners, including Subhashish Bhadra, Dalberg, Rebecca Ross, Creative Commons, Vishnu Mishra, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) and Ritul Gaur, Asian Development Bank, to explore how interoperable data ecosystems can support responsible innovation, strengthen public service delivery, and unlock the value of public data.

The discussion examined how data exchange systems can function as a key layer of digital public infrastructure (DPI), complementing foundational components such as digital identity and digital payments. Participants reflected on emerging data exchange initiatives and discussed the institutional, technical, and governance challenges involved in enabling trusted and scalable data-sharing systems.