The Assessment of the Social Impact Management - Essay Example

The first time the social impact assessment (SIA) emerged was in the 1970s in the US. It is seen as a way of assessing the impacts on society of some development schemes and also projects before they precede i.e. industrial facilities, mines, ports, new roads, airports and other infrastructure. The SIA has further been incorporated since into the formal approval and planning processes in many countries so that they can categorize as well as assess how their major developments will affect the populations, groups and even settlements. Most of the times SIA is seen as a part of or in addition to the environmental impact assessment (EIA) but it has not been widely adapted yet as EIA in the formal planning systems. A standard definition for social impact assessment is that it is a field of the social sciences that develops a knowledge base in providing a systematic appraisal in advance of the impacts that are on a day to day quality of life in people and communities whose environment is affected by a proposed plan project or policy change. The social impacts effects and consequences also refer to the changes to individuals’ and the communities due to a proposed action which alters their way of life work play and their relationships to one another. Social impact assessment is very important to individuals communities the government and also the private sector organizations. The assessment enables them to understand as well as anticipate the possible social consequences on the communities and the human populations of the proposed project development or even the policy changes. The social impact assessment is done as a part of the planning process and thus alerting the project proponent and the planner the likelihoods of the social impact. The social impacts have to be pointed out and also measured so that they can be understood and communicated to the decision makers and the impacted populations. The social impact assessments also provide very realistic appraisals of possible social implications and suggestions for the project alternatives and other possible alleviation measures. For one to clearly predict the probable impact of a particular development one has to seek to understand the individuals and communities past behaviors that have been affected by the actions of the agencies the development or even the policy changes. The Strength of the comparative SIA model is that with the availability of the appropriate data sources it further allows for the interpretation of the dynamic events and it can also provide monitoring of the short term impacts. This kind of the frequent monitoring continually provides a source of evaluation or a check in the direction of the forecasts which have been made about the social impacts. All the projects as well as policies go through a series of steps or stages and at some point the project could be decommissioned or even abandoned and the official policy could also change. On the other hand the scoping of issues before the analysis is done could lead to the assessor focusing only on one stage. The specific stage in the life of a valid project or a policy is a very important factor in the determination of the anticipated effects. It is also important to note that not all the social impacts anticipated will occur on each stage. Stages in a project development 1. planning or policy development This is the first stage that involves all the activities which take place from the time of conception of a project or policy or a project to the point where the policy is implemented. The social impacts begin the day the action is proposed and they can be assed from that point. The social stressors must also recognize the importance of the social constructions of reality at the local and national levels. 2. construction or implementation This stage begins when a decision to proceed is made and a permit is issued or even a law or regulation finally takes place. It involves the clearing of the land, developing some utilities and also building access roads. The build up of a construction workforce which is migration may also occur but this depends on the scale of the particular project. On the other hand when new policies are made and implemented the local economies as well as organizations may change and have their older behavior replaced with the new ways of relating to the environment at large with its resources. 3. operation and maintenance This stage occurs after the completion of the construction or after the policy is fully operational. In most instances this stage requires fewer workers than the implementation stage. If in any case the operations go on in a stabilized manner for some time then the effects that occur during this stage can be the most useful of those at any other stage. During this stage also the communities further adapt to the new social economic conditions. (Becker, 1997) 4. Abandonment or decommissioning This stage begins after the proposal has been made indicating that the associated policy or project will eventually cease at a future date. However the social impacts of this stage begin when the intentions to close down are announced and the region as well as the community must adapt to this but this time it will be to the failure of a project or even an adjustment to the policy change. On the other hand the disruptions maybe lessened to the local communities or even are altered if a particular worker is replaced by another. The policies and the project decisions that require the benefits from the social impact assessment s range from plant sittings to reservoirs, highways and also the power plant construction. The social impact assessment variables point out to the measurable change in the human population, the communities and also the social relationships which result from a development project or a policy change. There are various social variables in general and they include; the community and institutional structures, the political and social resources, the population characteristics, the individual family changes and the community resources. (Becker and Vanclay 2003) 1. population characteristics This includes the present population and the expected changes, the ethnic and racial diversities, the outflows and the influxes of the temporary residents as well as the arrival of the leisure or the seasonal residents. 2. political and social resources This refers to the distribution of power and authority, the affected and the interested publics, the leadership capabilities and also the capacity that is within a community or a region. 3. individual and family changes This refers to the factors which influence the daily lives of the individuals and families and it also includes their perceptions, attitudes family characteristics as well as their friendship networks. These changes are inclusive of the attitudes towards the policies to any alteration in the in the friendship or the family networks and similarly to the perceptions of health risk and safety. 4. community and institutional structures These cover the sizes, the structures and the levels organization in the local government as it also includes linkages to the other lager political systems. They also include the historical and the patterns of employment which are present and also the industrial diversification, the sizes and the activity levels of the associations which are volunteering, the religious organizations and in summary how all this institutions relate to each other. (Barrow, 2000) 5. Community resources. The resources include the patterns of the natural resources and land use, the availability of the housing and the community services to the health, police, sanitation facilities and the fire protection. The most important key to the survival and the continuity of the human communities are the cultural and the historical resources. And under the collection of the community resources variables there is a consideration for the possible changes for the indigenous people and the sub cultures which are religious. Social Impact Assessment Variables, by Project/Policy Setting (type) and Stage Project/Policy Stage Project/Policy Settings (type) Planning/Policy Development Construction/ Implementation Operation/ Maintenance Decommission/ Abandonment Hazardous Waste Site Perceptions of risk, health and safety Influx of temporary workers Trust in political and social institutions Alteration in size of local government Industrial Plant Formation of attitudes towards the project Change in community infrastructure Chang in employment/ income characteristics Change in employment equity of minority groups Forest Service to Park Service Management Interested and affected publics Trust in political and social institutions Influx of recreation users Distribution of power/authority Cited from, file:///E:/social_impact_guide.htm retrieved on, 11th October 2007. Reference: Barrow, C. (2000): Social Impact Assessment. London, Arnold. Becker, H and Vanclay, F. (2003): The international handbook of SIA. Cheltenham, Becker, H. (1997): Social impact Assessment, method and experience in Europe, North America and the developing world London, UCL Press. Read More