Political-economic approach is crucial to understand the vulnerability and challenges faced by marginalized communities during the pandemic. It highlights the importance of acknowledging the historical and ongoing impacts of dispossession, marginalization and discrimination. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected communities around the world, but marginalized communities have been particularly becoming vulnerable due to their pre-existing socio-economic disadvantages, unequal access to forces of production and knowledge, and historical subordination. This paper aims to understand the vulnerability and challenges faced by Indigenous communities during the COVID-19 pandemic from a political-economic approach. It seeks to explore the underlying structural factors that have contributed to their vulnerability and assess the responses of governments, welfare organizations, and marginalized communities to the pandemic. The paper includes a review of existing literature, reports, and case studies from different part of countries with significant marginal populations and analyses the political-economic factors that contribute to their challenges including structural inequalities, inadequate access to healthcare and education, food insecurity, and inadequate housing. It also examines the challenges faced by these communities during the pandemic, such as loss of livelihoods, social isolation, and increased institutional violence against marginalized women and children.
The paper further analyses the measures taken to mitigate the impact of pandemic, such as access to healthcare, economic support, and culturally appropriate education. It also examines the limitations of these responses, including inadequate resources, lack of consultation, and limited recognition of pandemic response strategies, human rights and sovereignty.
