Researchers at Stellenbosch University’s Policy Innovation Lab have co-authored a practical playbook to help governments test digital public infrastructure (DPI) safely before implementing it at scale.
A Sandbox Playbook: From Design to Implementation for Digital Public Infrastructure, co-authored by Dr Monique Bennett of the Policy Innovation Lab and Dr Armando Guio of the Global Network of Internet and Society Centres, provides policymakers with a structured approach to using sandboxes, controlled environments where new technologies, services or regulatory approaches can be tested before wider implementation.
DPI includes digital identity, payment, data-exchange systems and interoperable service channels that increasingly underpin the delivery of public services. While these systems can improve access to and efficiency of government services, their scale and reach also make careful testing and governance important.
The playbook emerged from a multi-stakeholder workshop hosted by the Policy Innovation Lab earlier this year, which highlighted a need for practical guidance on using sandboxes specifically for DPI projects.
Rather than prescribing a single model, the playbook provides a step-by-step process for determining when and how a sandbox can be used. It recommends beginning by identifying a genuine policy problem and bringing together relevant stakeholders, including regulators, technical experts, civil society and the private sector, to assess risks and determine whether experimentation is appropriate.
Where a sandbox is justified, the playbook recommends focusing the test on a specific service, connection or policy question. It also highlights the importance of clear ownership, agreed rules for pausing or stopping a test, and ongoing monitoring of issues such as system downtime, payment errors and user complaints.
The playbook draws on international examples of sandbox approaches, including Zurich’s Innovation Sandbox for AI, the UK Financial Conduct Authority’s regulatory sandbox and a regional initiative led by the International Telecommunication Union in Central America and the Dominican Republic.
A central principle of the playbook is that the success of a sandbox should not be measured only by whether a technology works. Instead, testing should generate reliable evidence to inform what government should do next – whether that means scaling a system, redesigning it or using the findings to inform policy and regulation.
Dr Gray Manicom, who manages the Policy Innovation Lab’s DPI portfolio, said that the playbook aims to support a more agile and experimental culture in government while keeping the public interest at the centre of technology governance.
As DPI becomes increasingly important to how citizens access public services, the playbook offers policymakers a practical framework for testing new systems before they are implemented at scale.
Read the Sandbox Playbook here: Sandbox-Playbook-FA3-digital.pdf