This post is written by Alex Martins and Lorriann Robinson, Co-Founders of The Equity Index.
The problem: There is often a lack of transparency across governments and civil services about how inequities show up in their operations and the measures they are adopting to improve equity.
Why it matters: Because, as the old adage goes, ‘what gets measured, gets done’; good quality data will help to identify where, when and how inequities prevail in organisations and provide a starting point for developing workable solutions.
The solution: Be radical in your approach to transparency, and proactively measure progress against equity to bring about long-term, meaningful change.
The term ‘equity’ has entered the mainstream in the international development public sector. Donor governments in the global north, and many other actors ranging from INGOs to private companies, now speak openly about issues related to equity, anti-racism and decolonisation. But talking about these issues is not enough. Still today, in 2022, it is difficult to find publicly available data about what governments and organisations are doing to foster cultures of equity, both within their organisations and in the way they work with partners or communities affected by their policies and work.
At The Equity Index, born in 2019 and registered in 2020 as a UK-based social enterprise, we envision a more equitable development sector where organisations in the global north walk their own talk, accompanied by a shift in power from north to south. Whereby people and organisations with lived experience, close to the realities of their context, are calling the shots and have the resources to implement the solutions to their own problems. Where imbalanced relationships have been transformed into equitable partnerships that recognise historical injustices and prioritise holistic well-being and dignity.
A model for holistic measurement
We developed the following model to capture all aspects of equity that are relevant to our particular sector, with a dual focus on internal equity within UK-based development organisations and external equity, related to the way in which partnerships and other relationships are developed and maintained. The model also focuses on both policies and practices, as we aim to capture not only what is formally written down, but whether a particular organisation’s culture feels equitable.
"Equity is a feeling, and the voices and views of all staff members, as well as key partners or interlocutors, must be included"
From 2020 to 2021, The Equity Index ran its pilot project, which was designed to prove the overall concept of the index. To do so, we conducted several activities, including the following:
Development of 12 indicators, six internal and six external, as per the model above.
Tested these indicators with four pilot organisations in the UK.
Conducted a full public equity mapping of UK development consultancy companies.
Published research materials, including So what do you mean by equity? Definitions briefing note.
Here, we share three lessons learned that arose from the pilot:
1. Equity is often framed too narrowly as part of ‘Diversity & Inclusion’ efforts. This is important, but does not capture broader considerations around north/south inequities and power imbalances.
2. Adopting a qualitative approach to measure equitable practices is vital, using meaningful, open-ended indicators as opposed to binary or quantitative measures that do not capture broader aspects of an organisation’s culture.
3. Equity is a feeling, and the voices and views of all staff members, as well as key partners or interlocutors, must be included in any meaningful assessments of organisational equity.
Based on this and our experience of engaging with a wide range of actors throughout the pilot, there are many actions that governments and public servants can take to increase transparency around efforts to improve equity:
1. Publish your definition of equity: Define equity and publish your definition as part of a clear and open commitment to enable both internal champions and external actors to hold you to account and support you in your actions. Enable staff from every level of the organisation to meaningfully contribute to this process.
2. Focus on both the ‘internal’ and ‘external’: Clearly outline the approach to equity in both your internal policies and practices and your external relationships, engagements and partnerships – it is not enough to embed equitable practices exclusively within your own teams.
3. Ask rather than assume: Hold regular check-ins with your staff and partners to ask whether the culture of the organisation feels equitable and use a variety of methods to gain feedback.
4. Make it personal: Set your own, personalised equity-related and anti-racist commitments, and where possible encourage staff to incorporate personal targets at work, especially in areas where they may have direct control or influence over decisions.
5. Evaluate your actions: Whether you design a set of bespoke equity indicators or use existing ones, actively measure your progress on a predetermined basis.
6. Recognise the immense power governments have to drive up standards in relation to equity with their partners and other global north actors.
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