First among equals: The implementation of integrated disaster risk management and climate change policies in Pacific Island Countries

The advantages and challenges of integration of climate change and disaster risk management have been widely studied from the perspective of governance, funding, policy, and project design. However, there is a lack of research examining (a) how collaboration within public administrations unfolds in situations where Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change (DRM-CC) integrated policies are implemented, and (b) the implications on the ground. In this paper we address this gap in research through an empirical case - the context of Pacific Island Countries. We do so by exploring how Climate Change (CC) and Disaster Risk Management (DRM) public departments in Tonga, the Federate States of Micronesia, and Palau collaborate, and how their understanding and perspectives (i.e., narratives) of the differences and commonalities of their areas of action influence policy implementation. Through qualitative research methods including semi-structured interview and thematic analysis, we find that the DRM and CC departments successfully collaborate to share staff and responsibilities, and to jointly manage aid to implement integrated policies. Clear benefits of policy integration in this way, include an enhanced ability to overcome limited capacity and resources, and hence harness collaborative advantage. However, this collaborative advantage has uneven consequences. Our research shows that climate change is 'first among equals' and that the collaborative partnership of policy integration favours the management of climate change-related risks over a comprehensive risk management. How this happens is the subject of this paper, as we draw upon collaboration theory to provide insights, and speculate on the implications.