By operationalizing the model set out in former tech executive Rainier Mallol’s paper “The Operative Republic,” the Ministry of Housing issued 85% more licenses in the first half of 2026
Dominican Republic, 16th Sep 2026 —The Dominican Republic recorded a 157% increase in private housing investment in the first half of 2026, driven in part by a rebuilt construction permitting process. Permits rose 85%, translating into RD$3,301.91 million (USD $5.6 billion) in additional construction investment. The gains follow reforms led by Rainier Mallol, then Director of Digital Transformation at the Ministry of Housing, who rebuilt permitting around the principles set out in his paper The Operative Republic: shared digital public infrastructure spanning identity, workflows, rules, registries, payments, and audit trails, rather than isolated digital procedures bolted onto existing bureaucracy.
“We matched all of last year’s licensing output in seven months, with more technical rigor, since controls that used to depend on the reviewer are now enforced by the system,” Mallol said. The approach was adopted as the technology base of the Construction Permits Modernization Plan. The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic now ranks construction as the fastest-growing sector this year, up 14.9% in June, citing faster approval of new works among the drivers. In fact, construction has become the Dominican Republic’s fastest-growing sector as tech-driven permitting reform adds $5.6 billion.
The Minister of Housing has since been appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, with Mallol serving as his senior advisor. He is now applying the same operating model to consular services and diplomatic case management. “The same digital public infrastructure we built in housing will be used in consular services and diplomatic relationship management,” Mallol said. “We are turning theory into practice, affecting GDP and public satisfaction with government. These ideas are replicable across departments.”
Mallol’s background spans government modernization, public-sector data systems, COVID-19 technology response, digital infrastructure, and international public-service technology work, including emerging-technology ventures. He has held senior government technology roles, led 60-person and 28-person technology teams across the private and public sectors, and negotiated multi-million-dollar infrastructure budgets for nationwide software systems and cross-ministerial data integrations. He has spoken on technology policy in Japan, Malaysia, Panama, the U.S., the UAE, Chile, and the Dominican Republic, and holds a Master’s in Public Administration in International Development from Harvard University.
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