Volume VI Special Issue IV April 2026

Name of Author : Neha Renjit

Title of the paper : Digital Public Infrastructure, Algorithmic Governance and Socio Economic Inequality: An Econometric Analysis of Indias Emerging Digital Welfare State

Abstract: Indias transition toward a digitally enabled welfare architecture has significantly altered the mode of governance, public service delivery, and citizen state interaction. Digital Public Infrastructure DPI, anchored in platforms such as Aadhaar, Direct Benefit Transfers DBT, and digital payment systems, is increasingly viewed as a catalyst for inclusive development. At the same time, the growing use of algorithmic systems in welfare administration raises important questions about exclusion, uneven access, and socio economic inequality. This paper examines the relationship between Digital Public Infrastructure, algorithmic governance, and socio economic inequality in India through an econometric perspective. It argues that while digital systems can reduce leakages, enhance targeting, and expand financial inclusion, their inequality reducing effects depend on digital access, literacy, and institutional capacity. The study proposes a state level panel framework for the period 2010 2024 using indicators such as digital transaction intensity, internet penetration, Aadhaar coverage, and DBT reach to explain variations in inequality across states. Fixed effects and dynamic panel models are specified to capture both regional heterogeneity and persistence in inequality. The paper develops a conceptual and empirical structure for understanding how digital governance influences distributional outcomes in an emerging economy. It concludes that digital transformation can support inclusive growth only when technological expansion is matched by social inclusion, infrastructure access, and safeguards against algorithmic exclusion.

Keywords : Digital Public Infrastructure, Algorithmic Governance, Socio Economic Inequality, Econometric Analysis, Digital Welfare State

DOI :

Page Number : 224-232