Decision-making is often used as a proxy for agency-the ability to set goals and act on them-although there are several theoretical critiques of this approach. Using unique data from the rural Philippines, this paper empirically tests the extent to which different aspects of decision-making are correlated with the Relative Autonomy Index, a measure of agency that has been validated for use in lower-income countries. Being a decision-maker (as asked in common survey questions) is only weakly related to the Relative Autonomy Index for women, and not at all for men. Having input into decisions and, to a greater extent, the ability to make personal decisions if desired are strongly associated with the RAI for both genders. The quantitative and qualitative data indicate that these concepts better capture the ability to make choices in line with one's personal goals, while being a decision-maker instead reflects being responsible for the outcome or managing the execution of a task, often in the face of limited options. The findings caution against focusing on being a decision-maker as a sole indicator of agency and have practical implications for both conceptualizing and measuring agency.
Authors
Arugay,Aries Ayuson, Donald,Aletheia Amalia, Jarvis,Forest Brach, Johnson,Hillary C., Valenciano,Aletheia
- DOI
- https://dx.doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-10851
- Disclosure Date
- 2024/07/15
- Disclosure Status
- Disclosed
- Doc Name
- When Does Decision-Making Reflect Agency ? Evidence from the Rural Philippines
- Originating Unit
- Off of Sr VP Dev Econ/Chief Econ (DECVP)
- Pages
- 44
- Product Line
- Advisory Services & Analytics
- Published in
- United States of America
- Rel Proj ID
- 4E-Impact Evaluation Of The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program -- P166254
- Series Name
- Policy Research working paper; PEOPLE; RRR;
- TF No/Name
- TF0A6512-Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program IE
- Unit Owning
- EAP Chief Economist Unit (EAPCE),Gender Impact Evaluation (AFEGI)
- Version Type
- Final
- Volume No
- 1
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction 4
- 2. Conceptual Framework 7
- 2.1 Agency and decision-making 7
- 2.2 Set Up 9
- 3. Context and Empirical Strategy 11
- 3.1 Country context 11
- 3.2 Quantitative Data and Analysis 12
- 3.3 Qualitative Data and Analysis 16
- 4. Results 17
- 4.1 Agency and decision-making 17
- 4.2 Regression analysis 19
- 4.3 Qualitative interview results 22
- 5. Conclusion and Discussion 24
- 6. References 27
- 7. Appendix 32
- Appendix A: Tables and Figures 32
- Appendix B: Validating the RAI in our survey 35
- Appendix C: Robustness Checks 38
