International Case Studies

Abstract

This chapter discusses the drivers that have led regional development of health impact assessment (HIA) in Europe, South America, Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, and Canada. For example, a number of European countries were frontrunners in the emergence and development of HIA and now have HIA firmly entrenched into their decision-making frameworks. In South America and Africa, the application of HIA has primarily been driven by major lending banks and is usually integrated into environmental, social, and health impact assessments. In the Asia-Pacific region, countries such as Thailand and Mongolia have been pioneers in building HIA into local environmental impact assessment requirements. The chapter concludes by presenting three case studies of HIAs carried out in the European Union, Mozambique, and New Zealand to highlight the diversity of HIA approaches. The first case study highlights an HIA that assessed the potential health impacts of a pan-European Employment Strategy. The second case study examines effects of a dam redevelopment project in Mozambique’s Nampula Province. The final case study examines a land-use framework proposed for a New Zealand suburb, with a strong lens on how the local Maori population would be affected. By looking at these case studies from around the world, we can better understand the role and trajectory of HIA in the USA.