Social Impact Assessment - Definition

Definition

The origin of SIA comes from the environmental impact assessment (EIA) model, which first emerged in the 1970s in the U.S, as a way to assess the impacts on society of certain development schemes and projects before they go ahead - for example, new roads, industrial facilities, mines, dams, ports, airports, and other infrastructure projects. It has been incorporated since into the formal planning and approval processes in several countries, in order to categorize and assess how major developments may affect populations, groups, and settlements. SIA is often carried out as part of, or in addition to, environmental impact assessment, but it has not yet been as widely adopted as EIA in formal planning systems, often playing a minor role in combined environmental and social assessments.

Social impact assessment is also of increasing importance within the sphere of "social entrepreneurship" and "impact investing" as a means to measure and monitor the social returns or social outputs of a business.

Definitions for "social impact assessment" vary by different sectors and applications. According to the International Association for Impact Assessment, "Social impact assessment includes the processes of analyzing, monitoring and managing the intended and unintended social consequences, both positive and negative, of planned interventions (policies, programs, plans, projects) and any social change processes invoked by those interventions. Its primary purpose is to bring about a more sustainable and equitable biophysical and human environment." (International Association for Impact Assessment).

The Global Social Venture Competition defines a proper Social Impact Assessment as one that includes three primary elements:

DEFINE: Define the venture’s social value proposition. Use the Theory of Change methodology to describe why the ventures activities will lead to the ultimate desired outcomes. Use the Impact Value Chain to describe how the venture’s activities will lead to the desired outcomes.

QUANTIFY: Identify three measurable social impact indicators that will most strongly correlate with the desired social outcomes. Explain how these indicators will be tracked as part of the venture’s normal business operations. Provide calculations for these indicators and incorporate them into Impact Value Chain. (Selection of social impact indicators from the Impact Reporting and Investment Standards (IRIS) is encouraged.)

TRACK: Explain how the chosen indicators will be tracked as part of the venture’s ongoing business operations. Outline a clear and feasible plan for impact measurement and evaluation, including ongoing monitoring of unintended and/or negative consequences of the business.

(See additional information in the 2012 GSVC Social Impact Assessment Guidance PDF document)

A substantial academic literature has developed around the techniques and the application of SIA, and it is widely taught and practiced. Major consultancy firms offer SIA expertise (which could be offered to 'developers', governments, or campaign organisations). They, and individual skilled practitioners and academics are often called upon to produce SIA reports, particularly in advance of proposed new infrastructure projects. The academic backgrounds of SIA practitioners are diverse, but may include applied sociology, anthropology, geography, development studies, and planning.

SIA overlaps substantially with the current interest in monitoring and evaluation (M&E). M&E is carried out after a project or development has gone ahead, to assess impacts and to see how well its goals were met. Evaluation is particularly important in the areas of

1. public policy,
2. health and education initiatives, and
3. international development projects more generally, whether conducted by governments, international donors, or NGOs.

In all these sectors, there is a case for conducting SIA and evaluations at different stages. There is a growing concern that projects of all types (from large dams to the work of small rural development NGOs), are efficiently conducted, do not disadvantage local people, and do not generate negative social and environmental impacts.

Increasingly, there is also a concern that non-experts and local people participate in the design and implementation of proposed developments or programmes. This can be achieved in the process of doing an SIA, through adopting a participatory and democratic research process. Some SIAs go further than this, to adopt an advocacy role. For example, several SIAs carried out in Queensland, Australia, have been conducted by consultants working for local Aboriginal communities who oppose new mining projects on ancestral land. A rigorous SIA report, showing real consequences of the projects and suggesting ways to mitigate these impacts, gives credibility and provides evidence to take these campaigns to the planning officers or to the courts...