SOCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT

(SIA)
SIA mainly involves 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.
In general terms, SIA is analyzing, monitoring and managing the social
consequences of development projects.
Social impacts include changes in people’s way of life, their culture, community,
political systems, environment, health and wellbeing, their personal and property rights
and their fears and aspirations.
The main types of social impacts that occur as a result of the project related changes
can be grouped into five overlapping categories:
 Lifestyle impacts: on the way people behave and relate to family, friends and
partners on a day-to-day basis
 Cultural impacts: on shared customs, obligations, values, language, religious
belief and other elements which make a social or ethnic group distinct
 Community impacts: on infrastructure, services, voluntary organizations, activity
networks and cohesion
 Quality of life impacts: on sense of place, aesthetics and heritage, perception of
belonging, security and livability, and aspirations for the future
 Health impacts: on mental, physical and social well being, although these
aspects are also the subject of health impact assessment.
SIA is a process of analysing the impact of public/government
intervention on the social aspects of the human environment. These
aspects include:

 The ways people cope with life through their economy, social
systems and cultural values
 The ways people use the natural environment for subsistence,
recreation, spiritual activities, cultural activities and others.
 The ways people use environment for shelter, making livelihoods,
industry, worship, recreation, gathering together, etc.
 Organization of the community, social and cultural institutions and
beliefs
 Preservation of the community identity.
SIA ensures that the development interventions:
 Are well informed and take into account the key relevant social issues;
 incorporate a participation strategy for involving a wide range of stakeholders.

Common questions in social assessment include:

 Who are the stakeholders of the project/proposed action?
 Are project objectives consistent with their needs, interests and capacity?
 What social and cultural factors affect the ability of stakeholders to participate
or benefit from the proposed policy or project?
 What will be the impact of the project or program on the various stakeholders,
especially women and vulnerable groups?
 Are there plans to mitigate adverse impacts?
 What social risks might affect project or program success?
 What institutional arrangements are needed for participation and project
delivery?
 Are there plans to build capacity at appropriate levels?
Major advantages of undertaking a systematic SIA
 Identifying project/ program stakeholders
 Identifying and prioritizing social issues associated with project
 Mitigating negative impact on communities or individuals
 Enhanced benefits to those affected
 Avoids delays and obstruction in gaining development approval
 Acts as a precautionary measure and avoids costly errors in the
future
 Builds the trust and cooperation between community and
stakeholders that is necessary for successful implementation of the
project.
 Aims and Objectives of SIA
 analyse how proposed interventions affect people
 identify and mitigate adverse impacts
 enhance benefits
 help to manage social change.

SIA benefits
 reduced impact on people
 enhanced benefits for those affected
 avoiding delays and obstruction
 lowering costs by timely actions
 better community and stakeholder relationship
 improved future proposals.
 What Social Impacts Assessment Addressed??
 people’s way of life – that is, how they live, work, play and interact
with one another on a day-to-day basis;
 their culture – that is, their shared beliefs, customs, values and
language or dialect;
 their community – its cohesion, stability, character, services and
facilities;
 their political systems – the extent to which people are able to
participate in decisions that affect their lives, the level of
democratization that is taking place, and the resources provided for
this purpose;
 their environment – the quality of the air and water people use; the
availability and quality of the food they eat; the level of hazard or
risk, dust and noise they are exposed to; the adequacy of sanitation,
their physical safety, and their access to and control over resources;
 their health and wellbeing – health is a state of complete physical,
mental, social and spiritual wellbeing and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity;

 their personal and property rights – particularly whether people are

economically affected, or experience personal disadvantage which
may include a violation of their civil liberties;

 their fears and aspirations – their perceptions about their safety, their
fears about the future of their community, and their aspirations for their
future and the future of their children.
 ACTIVITIES OF SIA
 identifies and describes the activities which are likely to cause impacts (scoping);
 predicts (or analyses) likely impacts and how different stakeholders are likely to
respond;
 assists evaluating and selecting alternatives (including a no development option);
 recommends mitigation measures; assists in the valuation process and provides
suggestions about compensation (non-financial as well as financial);
 describes potential conflicts between stakeholders and advises on resolution
processes;
 develops coping strategies for dealing with residual or non-mitigable impacts;
 advises on appropriate institutional and coordination arrangements for all
parties;
 assists in devising and implementing monitoring and management programs.
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 GROUPS INVOLVED IN SIA
 SIA practitioners – require guidelines to improve their practice;

 Regulatory agencies – require guidelines in order to specify or audit

the scope of SIA activities they commission as well as the quality of
SIA reports they receive;

 Policy and program developers – require guidelines to ensure that

policy and program development considers social impacts;

 Affected peoples and NGOs – require guidelines to be able to

participate effectively in SIA processes. Local action groups (resident
action groups) and NGOs often act like a regulatory agency in
checking the appropriateness of SIA processes.

 Developers (proponents) and Financiers – require guidelines to be

committed to good practice in environmental and social impact
assessment, to adequately resource such practice, to liaise effectively
with practitioners and interested and affected parties, and with
regulatory agencies.
Components of Social Impact Assessment:
 Scoping
 Establishing the Social Baseline
 Analysis of Social Impacts
 Mitigation of Adverse Impacts
 Identification of Sustainable Development Opportunities
 Preparing the Social Component of the Environmental and Social
Action Plan
 Monitoring
 
 Tools and Data Collection Methods for Socio-economic Profile
Socioeconomic Profile
1. Demographic Profile
 Ward wise Distribution of Holdings and Population
 Household Size and male/female Ratio
 Marital Status
 Age Distribution
 Spatial Distribution of wards and Core Area
2. Ward wise Distribution of Households
3. Settlement and Housing 9. Poverty Situation
4. Migration 10. Cultural, Religious and
5. Literacy and Education Archaeological Sites
6. Occupation 11. Economic Development and Future
7. Income and Expenditure Growth Potential
8. Different Stakeholders 12. Religion/Ethnic Groups
13. Gender Issues.
 Data Collection Methods

 Qualitative method
 Quantitative method
 
Qualitative method
 Interviews
 Household Survey
 Focus Group Meetings.
 Workshops
 Town/Village Meetings
 Preference or Wealth Rankings
 Transect Walks
 Mapping.
 Quantitative methods
Quantitative surveys serve to establish baseline measures for key social
parameters. Quantitative methods are commonly used to generate data
on:
 household assets
 income streams and livelihood survival strategies (household
expenditures)
 vulnerable individuals and households
 role of women and children in the division of labor
 degree of economic dependency on land and local resources
 household composition and demography
 Health
 educational characteristics
 skills of labor force; etc.
 Household Survey
One-to-one interview will be conducted with household (HH) representatives.
Pre-structured questionnaire is used in seeking for some generic
information:
 Family composition and demographic characteristics.
 Livelihood and economic status of the HH
 Dwelling houses and other structures under the possession of the HH
 Water supply and uses
 Sanitation and sewerage practices
 Solid wastes management practices
 Health and hygiene awareness and practices
 Gender perception and equity
 Social solidarity and security systems
 Development perceptions and participation.
Survey Techniques
 In most cases, surveys will be carried out through face-to-face
interviews (either scheduled or unplanned).
 Some limited survey questions may also be answered through
direct observation.

Sampling Methods
Sampling method used may be probability-based or not.
Examples of probability sampling include simple random samples,
stratified random samples (to differentiate among different social
subgroups), or systematic samples (e.g., every fifth household along
a main road).
Non probability samples could be based on self-selection,
geographic access, the investigator’s determination of who is
“typical” of the target population, or other factors.
Design of a Survey Questionnaire

 Factors to be considered in preparing a survey questionnaire:

 Overall Size.
 Background Information.

 Variety and Sequence of Questions.

 Disaggregation.
 Wording of Questions.
 
 Participatory Rapid Assessment (PRA)
PRA: Data and information collection technique
PRA techniques emphasize visual and verbal analyses (observing,
interviewing, mapping, sketching, ranking) to ensure that data collection
and discussion processes can be public, transparent, and group oriented.
Commonly applied PRA techniques
 key informant interviews (KII)
 semi-structured interviews
 transect walks
 participatory mapping and modelling
 wealth ranking and matrix ranking
 oral histories
 trend analysis
 development of seasonal calendars.
 CONSULTATION AND PARTICIPATION
Stakeholder Analysis

Stakeholders are people, groups, or institutions that may be affected by,

can significantly influence, or are important to the achievement of the
stated purpose of a project.

 Primary stakeholders include the people affected, the beneficiaries of

the project, the host populations at any planned resettlement sites, and
the implementing agency.
 Secondary stakeholders are other individuals or groups with interest in
the project, such as local or national government, policy makers,
advocacy groups, elected officials, and NGOs.
 Stakeholder Analysis
Stakeholder analysis consists of four steps:

i. identifying major stakeholder groups;

ii. determining stakeholders’ importance and influence on project
planning;
iii. analysing their interests, resources/capacities and mandates;
iv. selecting representation among stakeholders to be included in the
participatory processes of the project.
 Stakeholder Analysis

The stakeholder analysis seeks to answer questions like:

i. Who depends on the project?

ii. Who is interested in the outcome of the project?
iii. Who will influence the project?
iv. Who will be affected by the project?
v. Who may work against the project?
vi. Who can or should be included in the planning of the project?
 Consultation and Participation in the Project Cycle

Consultation is an ongoing process that should start from project

identification phase of planning and finally to implementation.
It is important to consider consultation and participation as a continual
process throughout the project cycle that provides a “vision” to
(i) helping stakeholders better understand the likely impacts of the
project;
(ii) assessing alternative formulation of project design;
(iii) determining community and individual preferences
(iv) designing an appropriate and acceptable resettlement plan for the
displaced persons.

Summarizes key activities for consultation and participation at each stage

of the project is provided below.

 Consultation and Participation in the Project Cycle

Project Stage Key Actions

 Identify stakeholders (including displaced persons, host
communities, concerned NGOs and local agencies).
 Involve stakeholders in the consultative processes.
 Prepare information material and plans for
Project
dissemination.
identification
 Organize and document public meetings.
 Decide on the need for a social preparation phase for
highly complex and sensitive involuntary resettlement
impacts. 
 Consultation and Participation in the Project Cycle
 Convene and document meetings with displaced persons and/or
host communities.
 Consider alternatives to avoid or minimize resettlement, in
consultation with affected persons.
 Involve affected persons in assessing project impacts, as appropriate.
 Arrange affected persons’ inputs to entitlements, income restoration,
and resettlement options.
 Institutionalize a participatory framework for compensation, income
restoration, and resettlement.
 Design a social preparation phase for a highly complex and sensitive
Project project.
Design and  Obtain input from displaced persons, host communities, and NGOs
Preparation on selection and development of resettlement sites.
 Involve displaced persons and concerned NGOs in developing
income restoration strategies, as appropriate.
 Establish grievance redress procedures, involving representatives of
affected persons in grievance redress committees.
 Consult displaced persons and concerned NGOs in preparing the
resettlement plan, as appropriate.
 Review participatory mechanisms outlined in the resettlement plan.
 Consultation and Participation in the Project Cycle

 Organize participation of displaced persons and NGOs in

resettlement plan implementation, as appropriate.
 Involve concerned NGOs in relocation efforts.
 Seek NGO support for livelihood and income restoration
Resettlement Plan activities.
Implementation  Involve affected persons in decision-making
committees, as appropriate.
 Ensure that grievance procedures are functional.
 Involve affected persons in monitoring and evaluation,
as appropriate.
Project  Ensure that grievance procedures are functional
 Involve Administrative Persons (APs) in implementation
Implementation  Involve NGOs and CBOs in implementation
Monitoring and  Involve APs and NGOs in both Monitoring and Evaluation
Evaluation
 Reporting on Consultation
Consultation process and its results should be documented in the social
assessment reports. Key information that should be reported includes:
 relevant host country laws and regulations;
 methodologies/means used to inform and involve the affected people and
other stakeholders in SIA process;
 discussion of issues raised by various stakeholders;
 response to affected people on how the project might address their
concerns raised during consultation;
 establish measures for continuous consultation during the social
management program;
 Documentation of public meetings and interviews, including dates,
names, topics and summary details of discussion and important