Volume VI Special Issue IV April 2026

Name of Author : Elizabeth Jacob, Dr Deepa K Thomas, Amal Thomas

Title of the paper : Gender Dimensions of Environmental Pollution in Leveraging Digital Governance for Inclusive and Sustainable Solutions

Abstract: Environmental pollution has appeared as one of the most demanding development challenges in the modern economies. This generates significant welfare losses through health, productivity, and ecological problems. In economic theory, pollution is considered as a case of negative externality where private production choices carry out social costs which is not fully reflected in market prices. The burden of environmental degradation is not homogeneously distributed across society. Women often experience unequal exposure to pollution. Household air pollution related illness significantly affects their productive capabilities. The rapid expansion of digital governance offers new possibility for addressing environmental challenges. This paper studies environmental pollution as a gender differentiated economic externality by integrating Environmental Externality Theory with the Capability Approach. The paper analyses how the digital governance can function as a corrective mechanism that internalizes social costs and how to expand womens capabilities. The study claims that sustainable environmental governance in the digital era must associate economic efficiency with gender sensitive institutional design. The paper accomplishes that inclusive green development wants digital systems that openly recognize distinguished environmental vulnerabilities across gender groups.

Keywords : Environmental Externalities, Gender Inequality, Digital Governance, Capability Approach, Environmental Governance, Inclusive Development

DOI :

Page Number : 95-100