Chapter 7

Social Impact Assessment

Introduction to the Scope and State of

Development of Social Impact Assessment
(SIA)

By Andinet K. (PhD)
Jan. 2024
1
 Definition

 SIA is process of assessing and managing consequences of

development projects, policies, and decisions on people.

 It includes analysing, monitoring and managing the

intended and unintended social consequences, both
positive and negative, of planned interventions and any
social change processes invoked by those interventions.

 The main objective of SIA is to identify the effects of

planned interventions on communities in order to ensure
project sustainability.

 Thus, equitable biophysical and human environment.

 Purpose of SIA

 In a nutshell, the idea of SIA is to identify the positive and

negative impacts so that:

 +ve impacts can be enhanced,

 long-term irreversible -ve impacts can be avoided,

 acceptable -ve impacts can be minimized, and

 appropriate mitigation and compensation measures

can be developed for a project to be socially sound.
 State of development of SIA

 While EIA is regarded as the forerunner, SIA remained a

poor cousin of EIA until recently.

 In the late 1970s, many developed countries and some

developing ones adopted SIA as a means of addressing
social issues arising from development initiatives.

 However, SIA remained basically an integral component of

EIA and is yet to be as firmly established in planning as
EIA, especially in developing countries.
 State of …

Recent Conceptual and Methodological Advances in SIA

 SIA has come a long way since its emergence in the 1970s
as a social planning tool.

 International development partners, such as World Bank

Group, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and UNDP, have
embraced SIA and implemented it in their projects and
programs in developing countries.

 Developed and some developing countries have further

strengthened SIA by way of legal provisions.
 State of …

 However, it is widely believed that benefits of SIA have

not been fully achieved. This is due to the fact

 SIA has been implemented as a textbook exercise to

identify negative impacts of development projects to
formulate mitigation and management plans in order to
meet regulatory requirements.

 “The SIA community has failed to convince all its

stakeholders of the full potential of SIA”.

 SIA can be much more than a process for identification of

impacts and fulfillment of legal requirements.
 State of …
 It can be the mechanism of promoting social sustainability,
for example, through

 facilitating negotiation processes between mining companies

and local indigenous populations;

 assisting local communities in understanding the impacts and

benefits of a project;

 helping companies and communities to manage social change

processes for maximizing project benefits and minimizing
their negative effects.
 Is there more?
 In the end, SIA can be a tool for positive social change.

 The recent developments in the practice of SIA and

advancement in conceptual framework suggest that SIA
would play a wider role by considering

 gender inequality,
 ethical issues,
 human rights,
 indigenous people,
 cumulative social impacts,
 climate change and disaster.
 Organizational Framework of SIA

 SIAs are usually conducted as part of EIA, and as such its

organizational framework is no different to that of EIA.

 International development partners and local and

international NGOs are playing important roles in the
development of SIA and community participation
guidelines and implementation.

 In collaboration with responsible government agencies,

they have contributed to refinement of procedures and
acted as a safeguard in quality assurance in the EIA sector
especially in the projects funded by them.
The End