Missing publics
Who demand signals leave out, and why it matters for DPGs
Digital Public Goods (DPGs) are designed in the name of the public, yet the processes that define their development often exclude the most vulnerable citizens.
When needs articulation channels rely solely on digital portals, they systematically miss marginalized groups who lack physical access or digital literacy. The result is a set of "missing publics" whose conversion factors are omitted from the design. Building inclusive public capabilities requires designing offline, vernacular, and local validation channels into the demand signalling mechanism.