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Measuring autonomy: evidence from Bangladesh

Author

Listed:
  • Ana Vaz

    (Senior Research Officer, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), Oxford, United Kingdom)

  • Sabina Alkire

    (Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), Oxford, United Kingdom)

  • Agnes Quisumbing

    (Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington D.C., USA)

  • Esha Sraboni

    (Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA)

Abstract

The search for rigorous, transparent and domain-specific measures of empowerment that can be used for gender analysis is ongoing. This paper explores the added value of a new measure of domain-specific autonomy. This direct measure of motivational autonomy emanates from the “self-determination theory” (Ryan and Deci, 2000). We examine in detail the Relative Autonomy Index (RAI) for individuals, using data representative of Bangladeshi rural areas. Based on descriptive statistical analyses, we conclude that the measure and its scale perform broadly well in terms of conceptual validity and reliability. Based on an exploratory analysis of the determinants of autonomy of men and women in Bangladesh, we find that neither age, education nor income are suitable proxies for autonomy. This implies that the RAI adds new information about individuals, and as such, could represent a promising avenue for further empirical exploration as a quantitative, yet nuanced, measure of domain-specific empowerment.

Suggested Citation

  • Ana Vaz & Sabina Alkire & Agnes Quisumbing & Esha Sraboni, 2018. "Measuring autonomy: evidence from Bangladesh," Asia-Pacific Sustainable Development Journal, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), vol. 25(2), pages 21-51, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:unt:japsdj:v:25:y:2018:i:2:p:21-51
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Solava Ibrahim & Sabina Alkire, 2007. "Agency and Empowerment: A Proposal for Internationally Comparable Indicators," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(4), pages 379-403.
    6. Alkire, Sabina & Meinzen-Dick, Ruth & Peterman, Amber & Quisumbing, Agnes & Seymour, Greg & Vaz, Ana, 2013. "The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 71-91.
    7. Sabina Alkire, 2005. "Subjective Quantitative Studies of Human Agency," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 74(1), pages 217-260, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Vollmer, Frank & Alkire, Sabina, 2022. "Consolidating and improving the assets indicator in the global Multidimensional Poverty Index," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa

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