In the development world, there are a lot many types of indicators in use. Some indicators are in proportions or number, which are most common. But some indicators may be in mean, rates, ratios, or index. They are all numeric and generally wide ranging variable. Most of them are continuous variables which can take up literally any imaginable value within the range of its validity. For example, a proportion indicator can take up any value from 0% to 100% including decimal precision to any extent. A mean can take up literally any value, depending on the indicator content. If it is about mean carbohydrate intake of a certain target group of people, it can take any value from say 50 g to 1500 g, again with theoretically any level of decimal precision. The same can apply for rates, ratios and indices (plural of index). Introducing Binary Indicators Now what is a binary indicator? A binary indicator can take any two values. Not more, not less. “Binary” is a term that became popular with the advent of digital technology, as against analogue of the yesteryears. Analogue could take up any value and any further intermediate value. If you remember how the volume controls of audio systems used to work say 25 years back, you will know what I am talking about. Digital technology understands only two things – 1 and 0. This may be coded as per convenience. Some examples are given below: This can be applied to indicators in the development industry. A binary indicator would take only two such values, which will be in essence – Yes or No. Adaptation/Calibration of Binary Indicators Not in all cases will the status of a binary indicator make sense. To make sense, a modification is required. Calibration may sound too big for modifying just two values – Yes and No. But technically it is calibration. You can call it “adaptation” or simply “labelling”. Calibration of a binary indicator means the process of assigning suitable values instead of using “yes” and “no”. I will give a few examples that might make sense for various pairs of values for a binary indicator. Some people may consider calibrating a binary indicators with the values – Male and Female. I will hold back any agreement or disagreement to that. But binary is usually good for a “positive” and a “negative”. That does not apply to the two genders. Moreover, living in times of LGBT popularity, use of binary indicators for genders may soon run out of use in many contexts. Use of Binary Indicators More than the concept of binary indicator itself, it will be important to understand their use and understand where they can be applied. The theory of the indicator is already over in this article. Now we will see which are the places and contexts where binary indicators can be useful. But even before that, let me tell you where they will not be useful. Scenario 1: When you do a household survey, many things may return a result of either “yes” or “no”. Say for example, we are studying if the households have access to drinking water supply network. But the binary values (yes and no) will apply to one particular household. In each household, the binary indicator will take a different value. So it will be of no use when it comes to any level of reporting. Eventually you will be interested in knowing how many “yes” and how many “no” you got out of the total households that were surveyed. That would in essence become a proportion indicator, telling you what proportion of households said “yes” (or have access). So, this is not the place to use binary indicator. However, if you have many projects across a country where similar work is being done to address access to drinking water networks, you may want to have a dashboard to depict which projects have reached a certain acceptance level (say 80% households having access). There, each project being marked with a “yes” or “no” will help. Scenario 2: You have 20 schools in your program area. And you are working towards ensuring that every school have a functional Parent-Teacher Association. While the program may be reporting how many (number), you may rather look at which program area has accomplished the task of having functional PTAs in “all” schools in its respective program area. A program area marked “yes” means all schools in that area have a functional PTA. While the program area marked “no” would mean that they are yet to have functional PTAs in “all schools in the area. At such higher levels, a binary indicator may be very useful. I’m sure you will find more applications for them.
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AuthorProttoy Kumar Das Archives
December 2016
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