Reproducibility package for Deciding not to decide: when is there power in not deciding?

Agency—the ability to define one’s own goals and make choices to achieve them—is often measured through questions that capture an individual’s direct involvement in decision-making. Yet not participating in decision-making may not always imply a lack of power. Drawing on the notion of effective power, we conceptualize two forms of this power: effective power by proxy and effective power by influence or persuasion. We then explore indirect ways of pursuing one’s goals when not directly involved in the decision using unique mixed-methods data from multiple members of rural households in Kilifi County, Kenya. Our results indicate that traditional decision-making measures underestimate the agency of some individuals—particularly that of husbands and fathers, who can disproportionately rely on their preferences being met through their effective power by proxy, without bearing the time and cognitive cost of actively engaging in decision-making. The results also indicate that women’s agency varies by marital status and the household composition. Focusing on decisions between married women and their husbands, overlooks the dynamics of intergenerational households where other members, like mothers-in-law or sons, are involved in the decision-making process. We conclude by providing practical recommendations for measuring agency in surveys.