Street-Level Tech: The Role of Data Entry Operators in India’s Welfare Infrastructure
Welfare delivery happens at the frontline through tech that's made possible through Data Entry Operators (DEOs). This paper demonstrates how DEOs do not reduce discretion at the frontline, but reshape it. The insights are drawn on fieldwork across five states - Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Himachal Pradesh – and over 100 officers, to examine their backgrounds, responsibilities and everyday challenges. We argue that DEOs form a new technocratic, contractual class essential to digital governance.
