Social Impact Analysis Research Articles

Sustainable development impact of implementing electric taxis in Jakarta: A cost-benefit analysis

Due to issues in global warming in the world, the application of replacing fossil fuels to electricity is important to reduce air pollution, especially in the metropolitan area. In 2016, total emissions in Indonesia increased from 11th to 10th in the world and were the highest in ASEAN, so this became the focus in order to reduce emissions. What issues make efforts to change from conventional taxis to electric taxis an important measurement to achieve targets in energy-saving and reduce emissions because electric taxi has the potential to resource savings and to improve urban air quality. This study was conducted to diagnose the potential application of electric taxis by conducting a feasibility study, social impact, and environmental analysis in the implementation of the electric taxis to measure sustainability aspects. In the calculation process, the maintenance cost is estimated to be fixed. The results of this study from the cost-benefit analysis are expected to be able to contribute to the government and the private sectors for decision making towards increasing sustainability in Indonesia.

4차 산업혁명에 의한 일자리 대체의 사회적 영향 분석: 빈곤갭을 활용한 사회적 비용 추계를 중심으로

4차 산업혁명에 의한 일자리 대체의 사회적 영향 분석: 빈곤갭을 활용한 사회적 비용 추계를 중심으로

Reduction of Fertilizer Use in South China—Impacts and Implications on Smallholder Rice Farmers

Despite the overuse of fertilizer in China, yields have stagnated while environmental pollution has risen. To increase sustainable production, the “Three Controls” Technology (3CT) was adopted in Guangdong Province as an agricultural best management practice for rice production. Its goal is to reduce the fertilizer use of farmers while decreasing the number of unproductive tillers and controlling pests and diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the farmers’ perception of 3CT focusing on three different impact factors: economic, social, and environmental. Using a digital survey questionnaire application, 142 farmers from six villages in Guangdong Province were interviewed to evaluate perceived changes in their farming and livelihood since adopting 3CT. Results showed that the farmers were highly satisfied with 3CT. They perceived positive livelihood changes and increased agronomic performance with reduced fertilizer use. Farmers who had adopted 3CT for the longest perceived significantly higher levels of change, more benefits, and improved agricultural efficiency. The study showed that 3CT is highly appreciated by farmers due to its effectiveness, ease of use, and compatibility. Our model highlighted the relevance of including social and environmental impact analysis for sustainability research in agriculture. Ultimately, 3CT has the potential of being implemented in other regions of China.

Spatial Modelling to Inform Public Health Based on Health Surveys: Impact of Unsampled Areas at Lower Geographical Scale.

Small area estimation is an important tool to provide area-specific estimates of population characteristics for governmental organizations in the context of education, public health and care. However, many demographic and health surveys are unrepresentative at a small geographical level, as often areas at a lower level are not included in the sample due to financial or logistical reasons. In this paper, we investigated (1) the effect of these unsampled areas on a variety of design-based and hierarchical model-based estimates and (2) the benefits of using auxiliary information in the estimation process by means of an extensive simulation study. The results showed the benefits of hierarchical spatial smoothing models towards obtaining more reliable estimates for areas at the lowest geographical level in case a spatial trend is present in the data. Furthermore, the importance of auxiliary information was highlighted, especially for geographical areas that were not included in the sample. Methods are illustrated on the 2008 Mozambique Poverty and Social Impact Analysis survey, with interest in the district-specific prevalence of school attendance.

Social Impact Analysis of Urban Riverfront Regeneration; River of Life (RoL), Kuala Lumpur City Hall (KLCH)

The River of Life (ROL) is a riverfront regeneration project that aims to transform the Klang River into a vibrant waterfront with high economic value. The study aims to define the implications of the RoL towards society in the area of KLCH. One hundred fifty respondents of local and international visitors completed the survey. From the findings, it shows that the respondents reacted favorably to all of RoL's social consequences, but improvements from the aesthetic and awareness is needed. These results help to maximize economic growth, enhancing social interaction and environmental preservation, especially in the urban.Keywords: Riverfront regeneration; social impacts; River of Life (RoL)eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v4i12.1854

The nexus between social impacts and adaptation strategies of workers to occupational heat stress: a conceptual framework.

Adverse effects of occupational heat stress in the context of the changing climate on working populations are subtle but considerably harmful. However, social dimensions and impacts of climate change-related occupational heat concerns on workers' safety and health, productivity and well-being are often overlooked or relegated as minor issues in social impact analyses of occupational heat exposure due to climate change. This paper offers a conceptual framework based on an appraisal and synthesis of the literature on social impacts of climate change-related occupational heat exposure on workers' safety and health, productivity and social welfare and the quest to localise and achieve sustainable development goals. A sustained global, national, institutional and individual collaborative involvement and financial support for research, improved adaptation and social protection strategies, predominantly in the developing world, where a large number of people work outdoors, can reduce heat exposure and boost the resilience and adaptive capacity of workers to facilitate efforts to achieve sustainable development goals.

A flexible framework for assessing the sustainability of alternative water supply options

Increased water scarcity is driving water utilities to consider alternative water supply options (WSOs). Identifying the most sustainable WSOs that meet environmental, economic, and social objectives is challenging due to the overwhelming number of both assessment criteria and treatment configurations, including a growing number of potable reuse options. Conventional approaches using process-based life cycle assessments are data-intensive and site-specific, and therefore not suitable for the early stages of assessing WSOs. To address this gap, we have combined hybrid multi-regional input-output-based life cycle assessment (MRIO-LCA), social impact analysis, and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to develop a novel, flexible framework with unit process level resolution for the comprehensive evaluation of WSOs. Here we describe the formulation of the framework along with an application to two US utilities considering alternative WSOs. In both cases, given sufficient levels of community acceptance and optimum system design, the results favoured potable reuse WSOs due to their climatic resilience, cost effectiveness and lower environmental impacts (compared to other non-conventional options such as desalination). The generalised and globally applicable framework developed for this study can be used to assess sustainability trade-offs between diverse WSO configurations, providing valuable insights for decision-making processes at the early planning stage, as a complement to existing urban water supply scenario and optimisation models.

Toward a method for the rapid collection of public concerns and benefits of emerging energy technologies

The speed and scale with which new technologies emerge sometimes force decision makers to act without the benefit of thorough risk analyses and environmental and social impact analyses. Insights from interested and affected parties (IAPs) can be tapped to alert decision makers to expected risks and benefits associated with emerging technologies. One of the methodological challenges has been to identify IAPs with relevant knowledge of the emerging technology. Here we show how Facebook’s marketing tool can be employed to reach IAPs with experience and knowledge in a new energy technology and recruit them to a survey instrument. We demonstrate the approach in the context of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas in the United States. A $200 1-week Facebook ad produced a diverse sample of 379 IAPs from 36 states that identified 41 benefits and 80 risks. This knowledge can be used to steer the direction of analyses for impact assessments. Comparison to a similar study showed a surprising number of differences, suggesting that larger samples are needed.

Implications of declining grazing permits on public land: An integrated social and economic impact analysis

Implications of declining grazing permits on public land: An integrated social and economic impact analysis

A method for economic input-output social impact analysis with application to U.S. advanced manufacturing

Industrial sustainability performance has, up until recently, been mainly based on a combination of economic and environmental measures. The social dimension of sustainability performance remains largely unknown. The lack of understanding of social performance, i.e., how stakeholder needs are impacted by industrial production, limits the capacity of decision makers to pursue fully informed choices. Fortunately, large quantities of economic and social data exist in the public domain. The vast economic and social data enable the creation of industry-related social impact metrics that can describe how industry directly affects society. However, assessing social impacts in an economy requires a multidisciplinary modeling approach. The proposed method, economic input-output social impact assessment, is developed to integrate economic production with two new social impact metrics based on employee/worker-needs: Cost Of Injuries identifies employee safety/security needs, and Employees below a Living Wage identifies worker basic needs. The model is applied using a case study that introduces the economically important and technologically innovative Advanced Manufacturing cluster of industries in the United States. In 2012, Advanced Manufacturing represented over 39% of U.S. manufacturing output and 7.8%, or $2.25 trillion. of the U.S. total economic output ranking 6th in the total economy. As a result of the model, Advanced Manufacturing was attributed 8.5%, or $1.3 billion, for the total national social impacts of Cost Of Injuries, ranking 5th in the U.S. economy. Advanced Manufacturing was also attributed 3.5%, or 3 million employees, for the total national social impacts of Employees below a Living Wage, ranking 12th out of the 16 economic sectors studied. The economic input-output social impact assessment method is demonstrated to provide a measurable path forward to evaluate the social performance of industries.

The implementation of ship and port facility security policy based on ISPS code at PT Pelindo II (Cirebon branch)

PurposeThis study aims to formulate the implementation model of Ship and Port Facility Security Policy based on ISPS Code in PT Pelindo II (Cirebon Branch).Design/methodology/approachThe location of the study was the port area of PT Pelindo II (Cirebon Branch). It was because the controlling policy became the duties and responsibilities of each region in which it was the responsibility of PT Pelindo II (Cirebon Branch). However, because of the problem of controlling, it became a common responsibility that could be divided into other institutions such as Navy, Police, Kodim, Satpol PP and leadership apparatus ranging from local to central authorities. Data collection in this study was done by some methods, namely: interview and direct observation. This was done to provide a real and detailed picture of the implementation of Ship and Port Facility Security that is based on ISPS Code to discipline gerandong in PT Pelindo II (Cirebon Branch). The researcher conducted the data collection activity by compiling the document on the field.FindingsShip and Port Facility Security Policy of ISPS Code throughout Indonesia, including PT Pelindo II (Cirebon Branch), has been enacted by Ministry of Transportation since 2004 by the Decree of Minister of Transportation Number 33/2003 on the application of Amendment of SOLAS 1974 on the Ship and Port Facility Security in Indonesian territory (ISPS Code) in top-down way for good port governance that is free from any safety, health and security threats, especially gerandong because of which the implementation of ISPS Code is not working properly. The Ship and Port Facility Security Policy that is based on ISPS Code is a mandate of UN convention and the mandate of the law and order of the Minister of Transportation to conduct the port security, especially in securing the ship and port facility based on ISPS Code so that Cirebon Branch will be a world-class port. The implementation process of ship and port facility security that is based on ISPS Code in PT Pelindo II (Cirebon Branch) does not run optimally, especially in disciplining gerandong because of the lack of the socialization that was done to the target community groups and related makeshift.Originality/valueFrom the results of analysis of several journals that became a reference for this study, there are at least three problems that need special attention, namely, general implementation problems (especially in developing countries), implementations that do not work because of leadership and implementation that cannot run if there is no benchmarking. The researcher is interested in analyzing the problem that has lasted almost for 10 years and has never been resolved until now. Many of the problems behind the phenomenon of gerandong occurred because of the interaction of government (civil society), civil society, Community Empowerment Institutions (LSM), Market (PT Pelindo) and certain community groups as well as the involvement of the apparatus. The most important of all that has been explained above is that in accordance with the feasibility of study (FS), the environmental impacts of the Development Main Plan (RIP) of Cirebon Port and its social impact analysis on the community has not been discussed. Therefore, the FS is expected to be complete and to become plenary and be more feasible to be accepted with this gerandong study.

Does oil and gas development impact recreation visits to public lands? A cross-sectional analysis of overnight recreation site use at 27 national forests with oil and gas development

Drawing on national forest visitor use data from 722 overnight use recreation sites across 27 National Forests with oil and gas development, this work examines whether the presence of oil and gas development within five kilometers of an overnight recreation site affects site visitation. Findings suggest that sites within five kilometers of oil and gas wells see less visitation, compared to sites farther away from wells. While this work does not attempt to speculate on the overall user experience, it does suggest that the presence of oil and gas development may have a significant enough effect on the user experience to motivate some users to recreate elsewhere. On average, each additional oil or gas well within a five-kilometer radius is related to a decline in six visits to the site, on an annual basis. Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model results suggest that the effect of oil and gas wells on overnight site visitation varies across the nation and is statistically significant in western states but not significant in eastern states, possibly due to differing expectations for pristine recreation settings. Management implication●This research finds that overnight use recreation sites within five kilometers of oil and gas wells see less visitation, compared to sites farther away from wells.●On average, each additional oil or gas well within a five-kilometer radius is related to a decline in six visits to the site, on an annual basis.●Managers tasked with analyzing potential impacts of oil and gas development on recreational uses can apply these findings directly into social impact analyses by carefully considering the real potential for declines in visitation and the associated drop in recreation fees available to local district managers for recreation resource maintenance and stewardship

The use of new‐media marketing in the green industry: Analysis of social media use and impact on sales

AbstractDuring the recession, the decline in home value and home ownership reduced the demand for ornamental plants, lawn and garden products, and related services, which resulted in significantly negative effect on the green industry revenues. Postrecession consolidation in the United States green industry has forced smaller firms to re‐evaluate their marketing strategies. New‐media marketing has gained attention as a relatively low‐cost and high‐exposure marketing strategy. This paper utilizes binary logit and interval censored regression to examine the use and the impact of social‐media marketing in the green industry. The analysis was based on primary data from a survey of US nurseries and garden centers. The findings reveal that the daily use of social‐media marketing is largely driven by the network effect and the managers’ attitudes. They also indicate that the small‐sized firms receive higher returns from social media use in terms of increased sales compared with larger firms.

Hasundutan Regency, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia

The rapidly population increasing in Indonesia forced the government to create more job opportunities. It was thought that the problem could be solved by developing timber estates in the forestry sector. The plantation effort in the form of HTIs (timber estates) only began in earnest in 1990. Most often, the development projects provide economic benefits and better living environment, but they also affect local people adversely. Social impact assessments help in understanding such impacts. The case study was conducted in North Sumatra Province in Indonesia and involved the stakeholders; they were local community, value chain actors, workers, and the society. This study aimed to assess the impacts of Toba Pulp Lestari tbk PT on local community social life and to develop the alternatives to overcome the conflicts happened between the local communities and the company. The impacts were measured based on six constructs of social impact within thirty eight of sub-construct. The result showed the first rank as the most important in the community life aspect was perceived well-being, and the second the most important was conservation the community resources occupying the second rank in pairwise comparison table.This study developed alternatives by suggesting Toba Pulp Lestari tbk PT to do environment impact analysis and social impact analysis.

Analysis of Worker Category Social Impacts in Different Types of Concrete Plant Operations: A Case Study in South Korea

As sustainable development has emerged as a priority on the international agenda, increasing emphasis has been placed on “Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA),” wherein environmental, economic, and social performance are comprehensively integrated. This study, as part of an LCSA approach, uses Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) to analyze the worker category social impact for concrete plants in South Korea. For the analysis, three types of concrete plant with different operating systems were selected and evaluated: Direct operation, operated by dedicated concrete manufacturers, and operated by cement suppliers. Eleven major social topics, which were mentioned in the international standards and international institutes, were selected as the subjects of evaluation; the social impacts were evaluated by applying the evaluative criteria for social topics presented in the Handbook for Product Social Life Cycle Assessment of PRé Sustainability. We determined that the highest social impact was found in concrete plants operated by cement suppliers (0.77), followed by plants operated by dedicated concrete manufacturers (0.50), and finally by plants with direct operations (0.09). These results can be applied by concrete plants to improve worker category areas in which they are lacking and by future researchers to evaluate the sustainable development of a variety of industries.

Ex-Ante Analysis of Economic, Social and Environmental Impacts of Large-Scale Renewable and Nuclear Energy Targets for Global Electricity Generation by 2030

This study assesses the economic, social and environmental impacts of renewable and nuclear energy targets for global electricity generation by 2030. It examines different regions, as they might experience different impacts depending on the structures of their economies and their local natural resources, to understand the impact of these targets on their economics and well-being of their people. These regions are: Saudi Arabia, the United States (US), China, India, Europe and Rest of World (ROW). A well-known Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model, the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP), is modified and used to predict global economic shifts that would be triggered by two scenarios. The business as usual (BAU) scenario assumes that the current electricity mix remains unchanged until 2030. The Renewable and Nuclear Energy (RNE) scenario is based on the International Energy Outlook (IEO) 2016 prediction. The analysis shows that the GDP value of all regions, except India, is affected negatively. The study shows a loss of 4.45 million jobs worldwide in the RNE compared to the BAU. Finally, the implementation of planned renewable and nuclear energy slightly benefits the environment but not enough to mitigate rise in global temperature.

One Stop Shopping as a regime: a crowdsourced analysis of integrated environmental approval policy

ABSTRACTProject developers face stringent environmental assessments and project approvals at multiple tiers of government. In order to streamline approvals, the Australian government is executing its strategic One Stop Shop (OSS) policy to integrate environmental approvals at the state–territory tier of government. This study crowdsourced diverse public opinion to develop an understanding of the required regulatory changes, and problems and pitfalls, associated with the OSS policy. Regime theory was used to frame the research and show that robust and repeatable approvals processing, convergent regulations and laws, open access to environmental data, and a single national list of threatened species may pave the way for improved approvals. In addition, OSS approvals assurance will be a critical factor if the policy prescription is to succeed. Stakeholders also expressed heightened concerns over weakened federal environmental approvals oversight and standards enforcement, increased approval uncertainty and limited efficiency improvements. The study commended closer federal and state–territory collaboration and co-operation, use of third-party facilitation of approvals processing and an enhanced guidance for community engagement and social impact analyses as aids for policy implementation.

Regulating FinTech: Lessons from Africa

Technological innovation in finance (FinTech) has been on the rise in recent years, creating new challenges for regulators. These challenges vary significantly depending on the region in question and type of economy, not least because different technologies are applied to tackle different problems. This paper focuses on regulatory frameworks of two leading jurisdictions in terms of FinTech development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Kenya and South Africa. As the developments in the region cannot be analysed in isolation from the global trends in FinTech regulation, we approach the matter systematically. We start by clarifying the existing terminology and preparing a comprehensive matrix of various challenges in FinTech regulation: in doing so, we do not take the interests of innovation promotion for granted and adopt a balanced approach, weighing various – often mutually exclusive – considerations against each other. We also argue that rule of law challenges, rather than technical problems, remain the key obstacles to adequate FinTech regulation. We then proceed to discuss the specific regulatory issues in two African jurisdictions that are current regional leaders in the FinTech space – Kenya and South Africa. We conclude by synthesising a set of recommendations for improving the FinTech regulatory systems in the two countries, in the light of the earlier matrix of regulatory challenges. Many findings in this paper (such as the need for improved methodology of social and economic impact analyses and various policy considerations for structuring the FinTech regulation) are relevant outside the African context and have universal application.

Social and Economic Impact Analysis of Vadinar Refinery of Essar Oil: The Case of a Mega Refinery

The article is a case study on Essar Oil’s Vadinar Refinery in Gujarat. In the wake of the decision to divest the stake to Rosneft group of Russia, the Ruia’s-led Essar Group were interested to present a portrayal of the financial profitability and socio-economic importance of their refinery project at Vadinar. The project was assigned to the authors towards evaluation. The analysis assumes significance as refinery is a strategic sector, and there lies immense potential for Indian refiners to attain sustainable competitive advantage through economies of scale and adoption of most advanced technologies to process sour crude of the highest complexity, thus, producing the cleanest fuels in multiple distillates. Using a social cost–benefit approach, the article evaluates the financial viability and socio-economic contribution of the refinery at Vadinar at the local and regional level, focusing on multiplier effect of income, tax and savings generated, including other externalities. The present findings would assist in policy implications for the strategic investment in refinery operations as well as building a template for future researchers interested to explore the economic aspect of oil refineries from welfare perspective. JEL: B41, D60, D61, D62, H23, H43, L71, O22, Q43

Environmental justice and U.S. Forest Service hazardous fuels reduction: A spatial method for impact assessment of federal resource management actions

Natural resource managers of federal lands in the USA are often tasked with various forms of social and economic impact analysis. Federal agencies in the USA also have a mandate to analyze the potential environmental justice consequences of their activities. Relatively little is known about the environmental justice impacts of natural resource management in rural areas. Quantitative environmental justice analyses have so far heavily favored urban populations, in part owing to the difficulty of quantitative analysis of rural U.S. Census data. We developed a spatial method for integrating rural U.S. Census data with natural resource management data to address this gap. The method learns from methodological advances in overcoming the spatial limitations of Census data, but prioritizes a simple, efficient technique that is applicable not only for identifying potential environmental justice problems, but also to a potentially broad spectrum of natural resource management activities and spatial scales. We pilot test the method by analyzing the hazardous fuels reduction activities of two national forests in central Oregon, USA. We find no evidence of systematic environmental justice issues on either forest, but identify local areas that warrant additional investigation.