To make agency measurement more practical and scalable, MAGNET has developed short-form versions of four tools, now being piloted across five data collections. These innovations aim to reduce respondent burden while preserving the reliability and richness of the original measures.
The Critical Consciousness Scale was streamlined from 45 to 12 questions through rigorous psychometric analysis and has been rolled out in Tajikistan. The Enumerator Characteristics & Reporting Bias tool was also tested there, with its subjective views section reduced from 30 to 15 questions, and has since been applied in India as well.
In India, researchers also piloted the new Unpacking Joint Decision-Making tool, which introduces alternative phrasings of decision-making questions to reduce intra-household discrepancies in responses.
Finally, the updated Asset Control and Benefits Scale, reduced from 16 to 8 questions per asset, will be administered to 7,000 respondents in Yemen and Nigeria, including an endline survey for an impact evaluation that combines cash and asset interventions.
Together, these shorter tools demonstrate MAGNET’s commitment to advancing rigorous yet practical approaches to measuring empowerment and agency.
International Food Policy Research Institute