Gender-inclusive Development and Decentralised Governance: Promoting Women’s Voice and Influence through Collective Action in Rural Indonesia

Abstract

This peer-reviewed research and policy paper draws on analysis of how women influence decision making in Indonesia's multi-level governance structure under the new Village Law in Indonesia. The analysis identifies the ways that women, through different causal processes, influence development priorities, spending, projects, policies and policy actors, as well as social norms in communities.

The analysis draws from a large, qualitative comparative study conducted in different places throughout Indonesia, providing an analytical framework for understanding variation in social and politico-economic contexts in terms of the constraints and opportunities for gender inclusion and women's empowerment. The research also explains variations in the processes by which women exercise voice and influence in these differing contexts, providing considerations for policy makers and others concerned with gender inclusion, women's empowerment and everyday wellbeing.