Forging partnership for inclusive disaster governance: Investigating the roles of local government in reducing community vulnerability in Makassar Indonesia

Urban disaster risks are magnified by multiple factors, including unplanned urbanisation, rapid population growth, insufficient government policies, disaster mismanagement and climate change. These risks increase disaster vulnerability, particularly for disadvantaged groups. Local government is the most legitimate authority to undertake local Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and alleviate people’s physical and social vulnerability to disasters. However, the existing literature does not provide an adequate analysis of how the urban local governments of developing economies recognise and address this differential vulnerability, nor whether and how local communities’ knowledge and experience are taken into consideration in DRR. The study aims to examine local government policies and practices in reducing community vulnerability to flooding, focusing on disadvantaged groups, in Makassar, Indonesia. It analyses local government roles in DRR, and generates evidence and insights into how it undertakes flood DRR inclusively. The study was conducted using a mixed methods approach. An in-depth case study analysis was carried out in Panaikang and Manggala, focusing on the 2013 flooding. Data collection methods included: 200 household questionnaires; 50 semi-structured interviews with different actors; two focus group discussions; one workshop; as well as field observations and policy analysis. The study demonstrates that the Makassar local government is not fully responsive and responsible for inclusive local disaster governance, which results in the disadvantaged groups being excluded from disaster services. With the increasing risk of disasters, compounded by limited attention being given to different social groups, many groups are now more vulnerable to flooding than ever before. The local government has not sufficiently recognised social vulnerability in its DRR policies and programs. Its local disaster policies are unclear in leading DRR responses, and DRR is not yet integrated with urban development. It is argued that local disaster governance faces several challenges, including unaccountable local leadership; limited community participation; restricted capacity; and insufficient attention to the strength of social capital and local innovations that could improve the community’s resilience. The study, therefore, calls for the reframing of local disaster governance by strengthening the partnership between local government and local communities as a means of establishing more responsive and more inclusive DRR