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Agency
Agency is the power that allows people to use the resources that are available to them to generate their desired achievements through decision-making, negotiation, deception, and/or manipulation (Kabeer, 1999). This is the element of empowerment that is most difficult to empirically observe. Leadership roles and formal decision-making authority can provide some indication of differential agency among groups.
How to operationalize the metric
Method of data collection and data needed to compute the method:
Surveys can be used to identify the composition of leaders in groups, either by targeting key informants or by asking randomly selected individuals about the leadership of groups they participate in or are familiar with. Equal representation of groups in leadership positions does not necessarily mean there is equal agency.
Unit of analysis:
Groups
Limitations regarding estimating and interpreting:
Crafting a survey that effectively draws out respondents’ experiences on a complex and relatively intangible concept can be difficult. Equal representation of groups in leadership positions does not necessarily mean there is equal agency.
Method of data collection and data needed to compute the method:
As described in the Access to Resources Metric, qualitative interviews are suitable for understanding “how” and “why” things happen through the use of open-ended questions. In this case, qualitative methods can be used with respondents from various groups to obtain detailed information on the respondents’ personal experiences in making decisions or being affected by the decisions of others, as well as their general perceptions about the decision-making power of various groups of interest. Crafting an interview guide that effectively draws out respondents’ experiences on a complex and relatively intangible concept can be difficult.
Unit of analysis:
Groups
Limitations regarding estimating and interpreting:
Crafting an interview guide that effectively draws out respondents’ experiences on a complex and relatively intangible concept can be difficult. Equal representation of groups in leadership positions does not necessarily mean there is equal agency.