Despite growing commitments to inclusion and gender equality, public policy and democratic governance across the Indo-Pacific continue to reflect enduring colonial and patriarchal power structures. Women and other marginalised groups remain disproportionately affected by climate change, disasters and political exclusion, while their knowledge and lived experience are often overlooked in policy development and democratic decision-making. This paper argues that improving governance requires more than institutional reform; it requires addressing the historical and structural power relations that continue to shape policy and political participation. Drawing on decolonial theory, intersectionality and feminist political ecology, the paper develops a conceptual framework for understanding how gender, class, ethnicity, geography and colonial legacies interact to influence access to political voice, public resources and decision-making. Rather than viewing vulnerability as an individual characteristic, the paper argues that it is produced through intersecting systems of power that continue to shape governance institutions and public policy across the region.
The paper brings together evidence from research on disaster governance in Bangladesh and democratic transitions across the Indo-Pacific. It shows that although international disaster risk reduction frameworks increasingly recognise gender equality, implementation often remains technocratic and fails to engage with local knowledge or the diverse experiences of women and marginalised communities. Similarly, while episodes of mass mobilisation can create opportunities for democratic reform, political transitions do not necessarily lead to more inclusive governance. Women and other excluded groups frequently remain under-represented in deliberative processes and institutional decision-making, limiting the transformative potential of democratic change.
The paper argues that democratic governance and effective public policy depend on recognising multiple forms of inequality and challenging the colonial assumptions that continue to shape state institutions. A decolonial and intersectional approach shifts policy attention from managing vulnerability towards redistributing power, valuing diverse knowledge systems and strengthening meaningful participation by historically excluded communities. By integrating gender, decoloniality and intersectionality, the paper contributes to debates in public policy and international relations on democratic governance, state legitimacy and institutional reform. It offers a new framework for understanding how governments can respond more effectively to environmental crises and political change while building more inclusive, accountable and locally grounded governance systems across the Indo-Pacific.
