Social Impact Assessment Process Research Articles

From Evaluation to Valorising: Three Moments in the Making of Social Impact Value

Value creation is central to entrepreneurship. Within social entrepreneurship research, value is discussed in relation to impact assessment as either pertaining to the thing assessed or dependent on the assessor. These are two perspectives that are blind to the value creation effects of the impact assessment process itself. Following pragmatist developments in the sociology of valuation, the article examines social impact evaluation activities and their performative effects. Findings, based on an analysis of a nascent social venture’s efforts to assess impact, suggest that the very acts of evaluating value are implicated in enacting social and organisational value. As a result, the article calls for a shift in focus from merely social value metrics and perspectives to social valuation processes and practices. This analytical shift helps uncover the social and political dimensions inherent in social impact assessment processes.

Sustainable food garden program in urban farming, Banda Aceh

Social Impact Assessment aims to help individuals, groups or communities to understand impacts that have occurred and are likely to occur. The purpose of this research to analyze the supporting and inhibiting factors of social impact assessment on the effectiveness of the sustainable food garden program and to analyze the social impact assessment process that can be applied to the effectiveness of the sustainable food garden program in Banda Aceh City. The research method uses a descriptive qualitative approach. The data used in this study comes from previous literature research. The aims and objectives of P2L activities are to increase the availability, accessibility and utilization of household food through diverse, balanced and safe food needs, as well as to increase household income through market-oriented food supply In this case, want to see how far the implementation of the social impact assessment has on the effectiveness of the Sustainable Food Garden Program implemented in Banda Aceh City The results of the study can be seen that the Sustainable Food Garden Program in Banda Aceh City is less effective due to aspects of the urban community who are not farmers, motivation, intensity of counseling and low levels of independence, food adequacy, while in terms of participation in planting the ability to grow crops is already good. From the results of measuring the effectiveness of the sustainable food garden program itself, it can be seen that program sustainability and food self-sufficiency are relatively low while the ability to cultivate crops is relatively good.

The ‘Voice’ of the Public during Social Impact Assessment (SIA): A Case Study of Teesta IV hydroelectric project in India

The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement 2013 Act (RFCTLARR Act) ensures that the ‘public’ is an integral part of the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) process. The law now mandates thattheir opinions would be considered in the report through a public hearing of the affected families. However, the inclusion of the affected people is often questioned in developmental projects such as hydropower projects, especially in hilly areas where the local people whose land is acquired are completely dependent upon it for their livelihood. Their resistance is also depicted through collective social action as aresult of their former experiences with the outcomes of public projects, due to which the public and private companies conducting the SIA studytend to neglect their views. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of public and its inclusion in the SIA process in India, using a case study methodology focusing on the SIA report of Teesta-IV hydroelectricproject submitted in 2018. Following a secondary data based approach, this study will argue that the local tribal communities do not equate the construction of dams with the concept of sustainable development. However, this does not cease the construction of those projects, thereby, questioning the notion of inclusionofthe local people. It is,therefore,recommended that the agencies involved in conducting the process of SIA must take into consideration the conflicting views of the affected families and train theirconsultants to be responsible legally and ethically for project approvals, thereby fostering accountability in the process of development.

Social impact assessment process for industry 4.0 to achieve sustainable artificial intelligence systems

The strategic environmental assessment (SEA) process can be broadly defined as a study of the social impacts of a proposed project, plan, policy or legislative action of intelligence systems on the society, environment and sustainability. The SEA process for sustainable intelligent systems has been aimed to incorporate society, environment and sustainability factors into the project planning and decision-making process for sustainable intelligent systems. Artificial intelligence systems (AIS) should consider the titled ‘environmental impact assessment (EIA)’ process that can be defined as the systematic identification and evaluation of the potential impacts (effects) of proposed projects, plans, programmes, policies or legislative actions relative to the biological physical, physico-chemical, biological, cultural, socio-economic and anthropological components of the total environment. The SEA process protocol is important as it has been proposed for studying and checking the productivity and quality of AIS. This treaty and official government procedures of SEA were helpful in the decision-making process much earlier than the EIA process. Keywords: Artificial intelligence, business, economics, environment, industry.

A research framework for studying social impacts: Application to the field of mining

Given the growing amount of attention shown to the social dimension of natural resources and mining governance, there is a need for more informed research-oriented approaches to studying social impacts. This article analyzes the features of Social Impact Assessment (SIA) studies from the academic research perspective and presents a framework for social impact research. By academic research, the article refers to studies on social impacts conducted purely for research purposes, not impact assessment processes.Research is always one aspect of the SIA process. At the same time, there is a lack of general methodological literature offering guidance on how assessing social impacts can contribute to social studies research. The guiding documents on SIA are largely intended for practical-level planning and management processes, which limits their applicability for academic purposes. The proposed framework draws both from traditional social science methods and existing scholarly and guiding literature on SIA. The research framework consists of four interlinked phases: 1) research preparations, 2) background studies (including proposed project, national and local context), 3) fieldwork, and 4) analysis. The framework is designed to direct attention to the relevant aspects of research methods, theory building, fieldwork implementation, and research choices for data analysis. Thus, the framework provides a flexible, but comprehensive, multi-level approach for examining social impacts, which can be adapted for a wide range of social-scientific mining research. The analysis and developed framework will help academic researchers better study the social impacts of mining and make better use of existing SIA studies in academic life.

Modifying social impact assessment to enhance the effectiveness of company social investment strategies in contributing to local community development

ABSTRACT Good practice social impact assessment (SIA) should lead to improved local community development outcomes. However, the social benefits alleged to flow from projects are often not as evident to affected communities as the project’s adverse impacts. Projects still give inadequate attention to social issues and fail to achieve social development outcomes. Using a prominent gas project in Russia, the Nord Stream 2 project, as an illustrative example, we explore the potential of environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) to enhance the effectiveness of project contributions to local community development. We analyse the main steps of the community development process for the Nord Stream 2 project, and consider how it benefitted from the SIA process. We also reflect on the potential further contribution of SIA to community development. Even though SIA and community development are interrelated, we conclude that SIA, as currently practiced, is constrained in its ability to contribute to community development outcomes. Adjustments to the SIA and corporate social investment frameworks are needed to make them more effective in achieving social development outcomes.

Challenges in meeting international standards in undertaking social impact assessment in Russia

Implementing good practice social impact assessment (SIA) that meets international standards in countries in transition is problematic. We reflect on the challenges faced when undertaking SIA in the Russian Federation. These challenges restrict meaningful SIA processes from being undertaken and limit public participation and the effective community engagement of project-affected local people. Based on the self-reflexive professional experience of two Russian-based social practitioners, and their discursive interactions with two leading academics in environmental and social impact assessment, as well as on in-depth interviews with prominent Russian and international experts, we identified the key challenges that prevent effective SIA from being implemented in Russia: a lack of understanding of the international standards; discrepancy in the determination of the social area of influence between the national requirements and international standards; difficulties in combining national and international impact assessment processes; and a tendency by companies to restrict stakeholder engagement to the minimum. We hope that by having an awareness of these limitations, improvements to SIA practice in Russia and elsewhere will be made.

Palm oil, power, and participation: The political ecology of social impact assessment

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, as a form of neoliberal environmental governance operating beyond-the-state, seeks to address its democratic deficit and gain legitimacy through deliberative and consultative processes. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil requires companies to conduct participatory social impact assessment for both new developments and existing operations in an attempt to identify and address the critical social impacts associated with palm oil production. Using a political ecology framework, and a mixed methods approach, this study explores social impact assessments as sites of power struggles, to understand the contestations, inequities, and marginalizations that occur in social impact assessment processes. By exploring the nature of social impact assessment as a market-led regime that privileges certain knowledges and politics, and is co-opted and controlled by powerful actors, the paper challenges the notion that social impact assessment can ensure the inclusion of previously marginalized people in decision-making processes. Participation in social impact assessment is found to be, at most, consultative and top-down, and risks the further disempowerment of affected peoples. By viewing social impact assessment as a discrete intervention, without a clear wider political project for social change for local peoples and workers, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil risks ‘rendering technical’ and ‘marketable’ the multifaceted social impacts associated with palm oil production as it simultaneously enacts particular global, neoliberal ‘participatory’ strategies that are applied locally in ways that (re-)produce hegemony and legitimacy.

Conceptualizing Company Response to Community Protest: Principles to Achieve a Social License to Operate

To gain a social license to operate and grow, companies should have effective community engagement activities, social impact assessment processes, environmental and social impact management procedures, and human rights-compatible grievance redress mechanisms in place. In this way, environmental impacts and social impacts would likely be identified and addressed before issues escalate and social risk amplifies. Companies also need to treat communities with respect and be mindful of local culture. Where these things are not done, there will be no social license to operate. Protests are mechanisms by which affected communities express their concerns and signal there is no social license. As argued in our previous work on conceptualizing social protests, protests are warning signs, as well as opportunities for companies to improve. Rather than let protest actions escalate, leading to violent confrontation and considerable cost and harm, companies should engage in meaningful dialogue with protesters. Unfortunately, company response is often inadequate or inappropriate. In this paper, we identify around 175 actions companies might take in relation to community protest, and we discuss how these actions variously have the potential to escalate or de-escalate conflict, depending on whether the company engages in appropriate and genuine interaction with protesters or if repressive measures are used. While effective engagement will likely de-escalate conflict, ignoring or repressing protests tends to provoke stronger reactions from groups seeking to have their concerns heard. When companies address community concerns early, their social license to operate is enhanced. We also outline the primary international standards companies are expected to comply with, and we identify the key environmental, social, and governance issues (ESG principles) that should be respected.

The community cost of consultation: Characterising the qualitative social impacts of a wind energy development that failed to proceed in Tasmania, Australia

Energy developments affect communities in a range of ways. Impacts on communities can be caused by changes to landscape amenity and access, disruptions to community cohesion, increased or decreased income streams, effects on property values, and population changes. These changes are ideally captured in the social impact assessment (SIA) process, where proponents outline in a formal statement the balance of benefits and burdens on local communities, and measures that will be taken to minimise negative outcomes for the community. In SIA practice there is a tendency toward quantitative socio-economic impacts, such as changes to demographics, income, and land values, with some qualitative assessment of amenity impacts. While the academic literature promotes inclusion of changes to the community itself, such as impacts on community cohesion and social capital, these qualitative changes are not consistently evident in SIA practice. Additionally, SIA practice assesses the impacts of the project, i.e. how the development of wind turbines or other energy infrastructure will affect the community. Because the consultation process around a proposed project typically commences prior to the characterisation and assessment of any associated social impacts and the finalisation of the SIA process, the potential impacts of this consultation are rarely, if ever, evaluated. Here, we examine a case study of an Australian wind energy project that did not proceed to implementation. Through this case study we are able to analyse the anticipatory impacts of the proposal; those stemming from the consultative process rather than the development of the project itself. We present these qualitative social changes, and outline the pathways through which the social changes manifest in two overarching social impacts: a divided community and future development capacity. We discuss the implications of this analysis in the context of good engagement practice and energy governance.

Profiling Phase of Bako Peninsula Residents

In the era of urban regeneration, among many challenges faced by the policy makers is to engage the local community in planning processes. Among many action plans involving the local community is Social Impact Assessment (SIA). The research aimed to underline issues discovered during the profiling phase of the SIA process conducted in Bako Peninsula. The methodology of the research is case study and survey questionnaire. The research discovered issues attributed to social trends and cultural diversity of residents. The findings influenced the next step of the SIA process and future development of Bako Peninsula.

Mining and sustainable development: territorializing the mining industry

The mining industry today faces a new set of environmental, social, economic, and political challenges. Despite efforts deployed by companies to improve their sustainable practices, and the proliferation of international initiatives aiming at enhanced sector management governance, mining is again being challenged. Centralized management and contradictory legal and institutional arrangements governing public sector institutions—especially the relation between the mining and the environmental authorities—create tensions between central governments and subnational authorities, mandated to manage territories in the context of decentralization. Given the lack of alignment in dealing with mining’s environmental, socio-economic, and territorial impacts, central government’s top-down decisions are becoming difficult to enforce. The politic dimension of the environmental and social impact assessment processes, in the context of poor inter-institutional coordination, accentuated the lack of trust in the formal procedures of consultation and increased the number of conflicts around projects. Revenue sharing mechanisms introduced by central governments to reduce tensions mostly failed to achieve their objectives. On the contrary, they often created new sources of conflict. To overcome this challenge, mining legislation must be harmonized with other sectors and adapted to territorial management. This requires participatory approaches to define integrated legal and institutional frameworks to manage the territories’ natural resources in the context of coherent decentralization processes. It also calls for the aligned intervention of different levels of government using the Municipality as the relevant coordination space.

Identifying the Influential Factors on Social Impact Assessment of Reconstruction Projects in Historic Site - A Case Study on Jameh Mosque Street, Yazd, Iran

Social impact assessment (SIA) is a process that provides a framework for gathering and analyzing information to determine intended and unintended social consequences of changes and developmental interventions on human environment. This assessment that emphasize on social and cultural issues, is more important in historic site that have more tangible social role than the new parts of the city and these areas should preserved by planning and subsequent evaluations due to their cultural heritage value. The aim of this paper that evaluated social impacts of reconstruction project of Jameh Mosque Street of Yazd city in Iran when it came into operation, is identify specific indicators for SIA in historic site through the use of general indicators and matching SIA process to the historical and cultural context of the heritage site. In order to achieve this goal, the research is based on SIA approach also descriptive and inferential statistics and focus group methodology were used to analyze the environment data. Hypotheses and measuring variables tested by analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and qualitative analysis with domain matrix. Accordingly, the estimation and selection of the effects of the project and its prioritization are based on some factors such as the importance and degree of feasibility that have different result in heritage site than the new urban areas. Finally, an operational framework and some strategic suggestions were made to improving the general process of SIA to use in heritage site and maximizing the efficiency of similar projects in every historic areas which leads to the consent of stakeholders.

Social impact assessment process for an efficient socio-economic transformation towards poverty alleviation and sustainable development


 
 
 Abstract
 Sustainable social entrepreneurship (SSE) is a kind of entrepreneurship that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability, efficiency and values of future generations to meet their own needs. SSE leads to sustainable development. Social entrepreneurs were developed through well-conceived and well directed training programmes around thrust areas, thus advancing the frontiers of theories and practice SSE. The concept of SSE challenges that fosters long-term protection of the society, environment and its habitants as the technological or engineering developments are guided by efficiency, productivity, profitability, health and environmental impacts, resource and energy conservation, waste management, and social impacts such as public convenience, unemployment and crime. The specific objectives of this research were: (i) To formulate and appraise forty-three number of detailed project reports (DPRs) of Diploma in Entrepreneurship and Business Management (DEBM ) course extension learners in eleven batches attached with the DEBM Counsellor and Co- ordinator of Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India -Ahmedabad (EDI),India as well author of this research during the research year (RY) 2007-2014 , (ii) To conduct social impact assessment and environmental health impact assessment (EHIA) for projects , (iii) To design and develop a comprehensive and green economic system modelling and (iv) To promote sustainable socio- economic policies of SIA process for an efficient socio- economic transformation development based on social entrepreneurial research conducted in South India . The design of the study is cross sectional. SIA is defined as the systematic identification and evaluation of the potential social impacts of proposed projects, plans, programs, policies or legislative actions relative to the socio- economic components of the society and total environment. Social factor has been considered in project planning and decision-making process in order to arrive at action which should be socio-economically compatible. Environmental health impact assessment process has been conducted in order to mitigate the environmental health impacts. Socio-economic environment is a man-made environment related to a set of considerations such as demographical study including population trends and population distribution , population interaction and interrelation to the social problem and solution, economic indicators of human welfare services, educational systems, transportation systems, environmental protective infrastructural facilities such as water supply system, waste water treatment system, solid and hazardous waste management, resource conservation and recovery process, environmental public health services and medical facilities. Social impact assessment process should be enacted as social policy act in order to encourage the considerations of human society in project planning and decision making process . Extension learners were equipped with the knowledge, skills and motivation to set up their sustainable social enterprises and function dynamically and manage successfully. DPRs proposed by learners have been investigated as per guidelines provided by EDI. Entrepreneurial business planning assessment regimes (EBPARs) have been accomplished for their credibility and communicability. DEBM projects were screened for the seven fatal flaws viz., (i) Scientific feasibility, (ii) technical feasibility, (iii) economic feasibility, (iv) marketing feasibility, (v) environmental feasibility, (vi) social feasibility and (vii) fundamental legality. Social entrepreneur of an entrepreneurial team should need skills in ethics, accounting, law, finance, team creation and marketing aspects in order to avoid failures in the process. The result analysis of forty- three learners has been discussed. Based on comprehensive socio-economic analysis, a green socio-economic system model has been presented. A famous project case of a DPR-I has been presented on unsafe chromium pollution and contamination of about 18 000 to 30 000 mg/kg from Indian cotton roller ginneries and development of green design roller gin rollers for cotton gins duly investigated in a ginning factory. Such low-carbon and energy-efficient agricultural technologies of agricultural hi-tech industries have made important contributions to mitigating the impacts of economic growth on global warming. Hitherto state-of-the- art literatures, market effects have been considered. It is reported that non-market impacts such as social and environmental impact assessment should be considered for proposed projects, plans, programs, policies and legislative action. It is concluded that this action-based and extension learning field study on SSE shall promote sustainable socio-economic policies for sustainable development and poverty alleviation.
 
 
 
 Keywords: action, efficient, entrepreneurship, environmental impact assessment process, project, social impact assessment (SIA) process, transformation.
 
 
 
 
 

Social Impact Assessment: A Literature Review

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) was developed in the 1970s as a complement to Environmental Impact Assessment. Guidelines for SIA have been developed, for example, by the World Bank and the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA). SIAs are appraisals of the likely impact in which operations might have on the societies of host countries, regions and communities. An effective SIA optimizes the operations to account for potential social consequences. The primary purpose of SIA is to bring about a more sustainable and equitable biophysical and human environment. An SIA is a risk management tool informing and encouraging timely decisions on projects. SIA can influence project design and improve the quality of decision making. Communities engaged in or identified by the SIA process also benefits through a variety of ways which are vividly discussed in the paper. There are a number of activities and principles specific to SIA. Chief among them is that equity considerations should be a fundamental element of SIA and development planning. The paper then describes what a comprehensive SIA process should be in its entirety and then concludes by describing the various methods for predicting future impacts. This are important for any SIA practitioner and are at the heart of any SIA process. Care must be taken to ensure the quality of methods and data, and to provide for critical review. This involves investigating the probable social impacts in terms of predicted conditions without the actions (baseline condition) and anticipated conditions with the effects and the predicted impacts.

Social Impact Assessment: How do the Public Help and why do they Matter?

In the era of urban regeneration, among many challenges faced by the policy makers is to engage the local community in planning processes. Among many action plans involving the local community is Social Impact Assessment (SIA). The research aimed to underline issues discovered during the profiling phase of the SIA process conducted in Bako Peninsula. The methodology of the research is case study and survey questionnaire. The research discovered issues attributed to social trends and cultural diversity of residents. The findings influenced the next step of the SIA process and forthcoming development of Bako Peninsula.

A critical analysis of the SIA process in Turkey: current problems and recommendations for improving the practice of SIA

This article assesses the quality of the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) process in Turkey through an exploration of the legal status and practical dimensions of SIA. We examined a randomly selected sample of SIAs, implemented in 67 development and investment projects between 1993 and 2011, using non-mandatory indicators of quality assessment. We found that, although this period has seen substantial improvements in the legal status of SIA and some improvement in certain dimensions of SIA in practice, much remains to be done in respect to international principles, guidelines and best practices. In practice, SIA is often considered an informational and consultation activity to be fulfilled during the public participation meeting. Moreover, in most cases mechanisms of impact identification/prediction and mitigation/monitoring exist only in theory. On the basis of these findings and assessment of relevant legislation, we offer some recommendations to improve the SIA process in Turkey in hopes that an understanding of the problems plaguing SIA in practice renders these recommendations appropriate to other contexts as well.

Evaluating the use of social impact assessment in Northeast US federal fisheries management

This analysis of Northeast US federal fisheries management focused on how social data have been collected and incorporated. Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 45 primary informants was augmented with secondary data. Results showed that the social factors of Northeast US federal fisheries are considered important, and that participation in and processes involved with collecting and incorporating social data have improved over time. Nonetheless, progress is still necessary to ensure that managers have the information necessary to understand how fishermen and fishing communities might be impacted by decisions. Managers tend rely on perception and public comment, rather than social impact assessment (SIA) documents. A number of steps are being taken to improve data collection, analysis, and use. Similar challenges exist nation-wide, but dialogue among providers of SIAs is elevating the quality and consistency of products. Where social scientists are engaged early and consistently, fostering the consideration of human dimensions in the design of measures in a participatory and iterative manner, both the SIA process and product are most valuable.

Making a Case for Social Impact Assessment in Urban Development: Social Impacts and Legal Disputes in Queensland, Australia

Urban land use planning and policy decisions are often contested, with the multiple stakeholders (business, developers, residents, policymakers and the wider community) frequently holding opposing viewpoints about the issues and best solution. In recent years, however, the participatory process of social impact assessment (SIA) has received significant attention as a way to mitigate conflict, facilitating negotiation and conflict resolution. This paper examines how social impacts have informed development appeals in Australia, focussing on ten cases from the Queensland Planning and Environment Court (QPEC). Half are appeals from community members (typically neighbours) wanting to oppose approvals and half from organisations appealing against City Councils decisions to deny their development applications. While legal challenges do not necessarily reflect attitudes and practices, they provide a means to begin to assess how social impacts (although not often explicitly defined as such) inform development related disputes. Based on the nature and outcomes of 10 QPEC cases, we argue that many legal cases could have been avoided if SIA had been undertaken appropriately. First, the issues in each case are clearly social, incorporating impacts on amenity, the character of an area, the needs of different social groups, perceptions of risk and a range of other social issues. Second, the outcomes and recommendations from each case, such as negotiating agreements, modifying plans and accommodating community concerns would have been equally served thorough SIA. Our argument is that engagement at an early stage, utilising SIA, could have likely achieved the same result in a less adversarial and much less expensive and time-consuming environment than a legal case.

Converting project risks to development opportunities through SIA enhancement measures: a practitioner perspective

This paper draws on social impact assessment (SIA) and benefit-sharing literature as well as practical SIA project experience in more than 18 different countries. It suggests four practical steps to promote the implementation of enhancement measures in projects: (1) early consideration of positive impacts, benefits and beneficiaries; (2) meaningful consultation and empowerment of beneficiaries; (3) including benefit enhancement measures in project finance agreements; and (4) independent monitoring of project benefits. The paper proposes that enhancement measures should be culturally appropriate, relevant to the project objectives and activities, cost effective, and contribute to the project being a good corporate neighbour. The paper argues that it is critical that employment generation is monitored in order to confirm it has the positive impact predicted in SIAs, as sometimes there is little review of who gains from the employment opportunities and how equitably the benefits are distributed within local project affected communities. The paper recommends that enhancement should not be seen as an add-on in SIA processes but rather as a core means to convert project risks to sustainable development opportunities.