Political Accountability and Disaster Governance in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Literature Review

Political accountability is widely recognized as a critical component of effective disaster governance in Southeast Asia, yet its influence on disaster preparedness, emergency response, recovery, and resilience has not been systematically synthesized across the region. This systematic literature review aimed to examine how political accountability mechanisms shape disaster governance outcomes in Southeast Asia, with particular emphasis on Philippine practices and regional governance patterns. Specifically, the review explored how accountability mechanisms are operationalized, their association with disaster risk reduction outcomes, and the governance challenges and best practices evident across Southeast Asian countries. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a systematic search was conducted across Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, JSTOR, ResearchGate, and ProQuest. From an initial 1,000 records, 68 empirical studies published between 2016 and 2025 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed using qualitative thematic synthesis. The analysis focused on four major themes: political accountability mechanisms, disaster governance outcomes, Philippine disaster governance practices, and regional governance patterns. Findings indicate that legislative oversight, transparency, civil society participation, and decentralized governance were generally associated with stronger disaster preparedness, early warning systems, and emergency response effectiveness. However, recovery and long-term resilience remain constrained by institutional fragmentation, uneven local capacities, overlapping responsibilities, and limited inter-agency coordination. Philippine studies underscore the importance of barangay participation, local governance, and community-based disaster risk reduction in strengthening preparedness, public trust, and local responsiveness despite persistent coordination challenges. Regional comparisons further reveal that decentralization enhances local disaster governance only when supported by adequate resources, institutional capacity, and sustained accountability. Overall, the review concludes that political accountability is associated with improved disaster governance when reinforced by transparency, community participation, institutional oversight, and effective coordination across government levels. Strengthening these governance mechanisms can enhance disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience while informing evidence-based disaster risk reduction policies and governance reforms throughout Southeast Asia.