Search

Research question: This article addresses the need to develop a comprehensive understanding of research on the formation and content of youth sport policies by presenting a review of studies across the period from 2000 to 2020. The review examined the scale and scope of these studies, collective research findings, and theoretical and methodological approaches utilised. Research methods: Compatible approaches to research synthesis were utilised. Scoping review methods supported searching within 31 relevant journals. Scoping review techniques augmented by those of 'meta-study' were used to analyse the 71 articles that were identified through the review. The definition of youth sport policy research through inclusion/exclusion of articles was determined Results and Findings: Youth sport policy research was dominated by studies in Europe and North America. There was also a predominance of qualitative methods, with studies being collectively limited in their utilisation of theory. Forty-four percent of studies examined policies focused on schools, with similar proportions (between 17% and 20%) addressing policies for welfare and safeguarding, community-based participation, and high-performance sport. Youth sport policy goals were often found to overlap and be influenced by other policy agendas, with health being a prominent policy concern. Implications: Besides the need for a wider geographical spread, improved theoretical underpinning and expanding quantitative methods should be priorities for future youth sport policy research. Extending normative analysis and study of democracy and inclusion in youth sport policy-making should also be pursued, especially as young people appear commonly excluded from these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After more than five decades of practice, environmental impact assessment (EIA) has failed to convince sceptics that it represents value for money. It increasingly overlaps with constantly emerging sustainability requirements. The completed assessments are extremely long, exceed the cognitive capacities of decision makers to assimilate information, cannot address motivated reasoning, and therefore inevitably lead to trade-offs that threaten the very environmental components EIA was designed to protect. In this paper, for the minority of nations with highly developed existing environmental legislation and management only, we propose three radical approaches that include: (1) the adoption of 'satisficing', to deliver a streamlined assessment that is good enough; underpinned by (2) better application of 'acceptable harmrules' embedded in existing environmental legislation in many jurisdictions to prevent significant harm to environmental media; and (3) an 'externalities charge' on developers (irrespective of whether EIA is required) to force more aggressive scoping through market incentives and to fund a shift towards adaptive environmental assessment and management that manages environmental outcomes. Better environmental protections could be delivered using a far more streamlined EIA process, associated with the creation and maintenance of more accurate and comprehensive datasets that can provide better evidence for emerging artificial intelligence tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify and review the characteristics and uses of family violence screening tools in emergency departments (EDs) because such screenings have been observed to be implemented irregularly and inconsistently across EDs. This study is important because it provides ED clinicians with an overview and appraisal of several family violence screening tools. This study used a scoping review systematically over six databases, finding 12 suitable studies. The themes identified were (i) how family violence screening tools are used, (ii) what the barriers to implementing screening for family violence were, and (iii) what factors facilitated screening for family violence. A combination of reasons included lack of useful screening tools, training for family violence screening, privacy, time, and language barriers that hindered the use of screening for family violence. It was suggested that a beneficial screening tool and clinician support would facilitate the screening of family violence in EDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consideration of alternatives for a development project, with the prime objective of selecting the most appropriate alternative that supports sustainability of the environmental resources, should be the heart of an EIA study. This study was undertaken to examine how alternatives were addressed in 46 EIA reports for infrastructural projects accorded environmental clearance in India, adopting the yardsticks used by Sadler for evaluating effectiveness and criteria-based evaluation. The EIA process considers alternatives superficially and the terms of reference lack emphasis on a wide range of reasonable alternatives, even for potentially controversial and large projects. Radical improvements are needed in the EIA process through a core legislated scoping, and transparent and rigorous appraisal of proposals right from "upstream" through "downstream" of project life-cycle. The capacity building of professionals associated with the EIA process on the structured methodologies for identification, development, and analysis of reasonable alternatives should help meet the EIA objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental assessments (EAs) are in research and policy expected to be a vehicle for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It has been argued that the scoping of EA, both on project and strategic levels, can be broadened to encompass the 17 goals and thereby strengthen the commitment towards sustainable development. However, studies exploring the integration of EA practice and SDGs remain scarce. This article contributes to the understanding of how EA practice on the project level can utilize the SDGs to further develop its scope. The case study focuses on a high-income context, which has a significant influence on the results of the study. A review of recent Danish cases of environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports shows the potential for a broader scope than the biospheric and environmental parameters that dominate an EIA context. The results show that, within a Danish EIA context, the SDGs can help to qualify and strengthen the process of scoping for mandatory parameters in especially 'population & human health' and hereby contribute to a more comprehensive implementation of the parameter as required by the European EIA Directive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite long-held views that Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) can provide information and focus to subsequent environmental assessments (EAs), there has been limited evidence or investigation of this in practice. This includes little analysis of whether and how the scope of project-level EAs are being influenced and streamlined in this manner, or of key enablers or impediments to these potential SEA outcomes. This paper uses a case study to further explore this issue, and to identify some factors that appear to be contributing to a lack of SEA scoping effects in this context. In doing so, it highlights various issues that may be investigated through future study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding wealth inequality has unique significance in South Africa. The co-existence of extreme poverty and extreme wealth is starkly visible. Apartheid-era inequality has persisted despite more than 20 years of democracy. Much of the recent research focus on inequality has been on inequality of income and of opportunities, especially quantitatively. With the recent project to release South African tax administrative data for research, this paper hopes to show how use of the tax administrative data can contribute to developing a refreshed quantitative analysis of wealth inequality, especially in estimating the top shares of the wealth distribution, and so contribute to the existing literature on wealth inequality in South Africa. The first section will explore why studying wealth inequality is of fundamental importance. The second section will review international data and methods used to research wealth inequality, before laying out suggested approach to doing such studies in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over recent decades, there has been a significant proliferation of types of impact assessments. While some argue that this is threatening future use of impact assessments, sustainability assessments have emerged as a potential approach to bridge these diverse approaches. This research focuses on examining sustainability assessments at the project level, looking specifically at scoping practices key to integration. Nine multinational enterprises operating within Indonesia are studied, utilising a case study methodology with semi-structured interviews with 32 respondents. Findings emphasise that while these multinationals sought to address key regulatory requirements through their scoping practices, international standards and global sustainability platforms were critical in informing the practices of these organisations. The recognition of these standards and guidelines saw them addressing a broad range of key sustainability issues; also using prescribed techniques to engage with stakeholders and identify the most critical sustainability issues to focus on in assessment. There was integration of scoping processes through different levels and across the organisations, which were generally managed by teams providing sustainability expertise, including through affiliate personnel for local contextualisation. Abbreviation AMDAL - Analisis Mengenai Dampak Lingkungan (EIA); BAPEDALDA - provincial/regional-level of the Environmental Impact Management Agency; CAQDAS - computer assisted data analysis software; CSR - corporate social responsibility; EIA - environmental impact assessment; EU - European Union; FDI - foreign direct investment; GRI - Global Reporting Initiative; ILO - International Labour Organization; MCA - multicriteria analysis; MNE - multinational enterprise; MOE - Ministry of Environment (now Ministry of Environment and Forestry); NGO - non-government organisation; OECD - Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development; OH&S - occupational health and safety; SPPL - Letter of Statement on Environmental Management Effort; UKL - Environmental Management Effort; UN - United Nations; UNGC - United Nations Global Compact; UPL - Environmental Controlling Effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This review examined the impact of environmental change and educational interventions targeting young children from minority groups living in urban environments and who were from low-income families. Data Sources: A scoping methodology was used to find research across six databases, including CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE. Study Selection: 299 studies were identified. Duplicates were removed leaving 159 studies. After reviewing for inclusion and exclusion criteria, 23 manuscripts were identified for this study: 11 featured home-environment change interventions and 12 emphasized education of children. Results: Studies were reviewed to determine key interventions and outcomes for children. Both environmental interventions and educational programs had positive outcomes. Interventions did not always impact health outcomes, such as emergency department visits. Conclusions: Results indicated many of the environmental change and education interventions improved asthma management and some symptoms. A multipronged approach may be a good method for targeting both education and change in the home and school environment to promote the well-being of young children in urban areas. New research with careful documentation of information about study participants, dose of intervention (i.e., number and duration of sessions, booster sessions) and specific intervention components also will provide guidance for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study offers a Choice Experiment (CE) analysis of geographical scope effects. About 500 stated preference surveys were conducted to estimate willingness-to-pay (WTP) for nature protection in the Netherlands and the Caribbean Netherlands which became part of the Netherlands' constitution just before the survey, providing a unique policy setting. Two version of the CE were implemented with a narrow or a broader geographical scope. Estimation of error correction mixed logit models resulted in the following main insights. First, the hypothesis of scope invariance is rejected since expanding the geographical scope influenced WTP values for nature protection. As an illustration, policies of preventing a degradation of nature have an average WTP of about €20 in the experiment with the smaller geographical scope, while this WTP is not significantly different from zero in the experiment with the more extensive scope. Second, evidence of scope sensitivity of WTP to the levels of nature protection is mixed, and depends on the geographical scope of the CE. We find a sizable WTP for protection of nature in Caribbean Netherlands among citizens of the mainland of the Netherlands, which supports the observed sizable funding of the Dutch government for nature management in the Caribbean Netherlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous space missions are planned by government agencies and private companies, with objectives including scientific research, prospecting for and mining resources, and establishing human settlements. These projects have potential to affect the extraterrestrial environment. Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an important tool for assessing the potential impact of projects on Earth’s environment. However, the legal requirements to undertake EIA for extraterrestrial projects are limited and most EIAs that have been conducted have not considered impacts beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Technical barriers to extraterrestrial EIA also need to be overcome, including a lack of guidelines and methodologies. This paper addresses the latter issue by identifying the extraterrestrial impacts that may arise from space projects and relating them to the environmental topic areas in the European EIA Directive. An example is then provided of how EIA screening and scoping can be undertaken for the extraterrestrial elements of space projects, using six scenarios. Effective EIA screening and scoping is key to deciding whether EIA is required and if so which topic areas should be included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being adopted worldwide, environmental impact assessment (EIA) is under pressure in many countries, while perceived (rightly or wrongly) as an ineffective and inefficient process. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is thought to help address some of EIA’s shortcomings, but it is absent in many jurisdictions and sectors. In this paper, we argue that multi-project EIA can, in some contexts, simultaneously deliver greater effectiveness and process streamlining. To illustrate our claim, we present a case study from offshore petroleum production in Brazil, where the development of the pre-salt giant reserves is being licensed through a multi-project EIA approach, in a non-SEA planning environment. The analysis provides interesting insights on the strengths and challenges of that strategy, focusing on five aspects of practice: cumulative impacts, efficiency, approach to authorizations, follow-up and political issues. Proper scoping was found to be essential to consistent EIA processes and shorter review times. Finally, we suggest that multi-project EIA approach should be revisited by practitioners and regulators to identify opportunities for deployment, especially in jurisdictions where strategic assessments are not in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stakeholder engagement in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Health Impact Assessment (HIA) provides opportunities for inclusive environmental decision-making contributing to the attainment of agreement about the potential environmental and health impacts of a plan. A case evaluation of stakeholder engagement was carried out to assess its effect in terms of consensus-building. The case consisted in two health impact scoping workshops engaging 20 stakeholders: policy-makers, experts and residents. A Participatory Action Research approach was adopted. Methods included observation, semi-structured questionnaires and interviews. Analysis methods consisted of several coding rounds, in-depth reading and discussion of Atlas.ti output reports, as well as studying questionnaire results. Participants reported a broadening of perspectives on health in relation to the environment and attainment of shared perspectives. Still, meaningful differences remained, indicating that joint learning experiences, trust and mutual respect created a ‘sense of consensus’ rather than a joint view on the issues at stake. To avoid disappointment and conflict in later project development, explicit acknowledgment and acceptance of disagreements should be included as a ground rule in future stakeholder engagement processes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Environmental factors and objectives are formally identified during the scoping stage of environmental impact assessment (EIA) to structure and focus individual assessments. Environmental factors are broad components of the environment, while objectives set the desired outcome for a specific factor. This research assesses the utility of environmental factors and objectives in EIA practice based upon a combination of literature review and interviews with 21 EIA practitioners from Western Australia. Further to providing focus and structure for EIA, practitioners also use environmental factors and objectives for decision-making throughout the process. The majority of practitioners also note that factors and objectives are value adding and useful to their EIA practice. Due to their inherent subjective natures, interviewees noted a lack of consistency regarding how to meet the objectives and challenges in determining the significance of impacts on a factor. Identified opportunities to enhance use of objectives and factors in EIA included provision of more guidance, especially criteria or standards to apply and improve knowledge sharing between EIA stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper consolidates international responses to the argument that there is a need to strengthen impact assessment (IA) through greater integration and focus. It is based on invited reflections by various international authors in the field of IA. The main conclusions are that power and context are important underlying reasons for the diversity of IA types; that in certain instances IA legislation works against achieving integration and focus; and that there is a pressing need to be able to measure and demonstrate added value and effectiveness in practice. The paper concludes by setting a research agenda reflecting the need to better understand why diversity exists in IA, what stakeholders expect from the process and how to improve practice based on greater understanding of what the various types of IA deliver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We suggest that the impact assessment community has lost its way based on our observation that impact assessment is under attack because of a perceived lack of efficiency. Specifically, we contend that the proliferation of different impact assessment types creates separate silos of expertise and feeds arguments for not only a lack of efficiency but also a lack of effectiveness of the process through excessive specialisation and a lack of interdisciplinary practice. We propose that the solution is a return to the basics of impact assessment with a call for increased integration around the goal of sustainable development and focus through better scoping. We rehearse and rebut counter arguments covering silo-based expertise, advocacy, democracy, sustainability understanding and communication. We call on the impact assessment community to rise to the challenge of increasing integration and focus, and to engage in the debate about the means of strengthening impact assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determination of significance is widely recognised as an important step in environmental assessment (EA) processes. The prescriptive literature and guidance on significance determination is comprehensive within the field of EA, whereas descriptive and explorative studies of how we go about making sense, or construct meaning, of actions to determine significance are few. This article makes use of sense-making theory to explore how sense-making among EA researchers and practitioners influences significance determination. Focus is on the situation when persons have their first look at information about a strategic choice and as part of this make their initial judgement of significance. An experiment is designed and conducted to investigate how persons make sense of a specific case and determine significance in a screening and scoping context. The experiment indicates patterns in the test persons' sense-making, including important differences in the way individuals screen and scope. These patterns concern what we notice, how fast we frame the choice, and when we are critical about the provided information. The indications provide a basis for reflections on practice and on how to organise EA processes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Proper scoping is essential for any environmental assessment (EA) process. This is particularly true with respect to resource development in the intercultural setting of First Nation homelands of northern Canada. Improper scoping leads to EAs that are flawed for a number of reasons. For example, potentially impacted stakeholders are excluded from the process; thus, the proper collection of baseline information is not possible resulting in inaccurate predictions of impacts and mitigation strategies. We examined whether the approved EA for the Victor Diamond Mine in northern Ontario was properly scoped using criteria identified by the Government of Canada, in their project-specific guidelines developed for the assessment. Our results from the published literature, which included oral history, clearly indicate that the Victor Diamond Mine EA scoping process was based on two erroneous assumptions: that the registered trapline system was the accepted system of land use/occupation in northern Ontario, and that land use/occupancy was based on the treaty-imposed reserve system (not the family-based traditional lands system). Implications for resource development involving indigenous people are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This professional practice report discusses the results of a study into the timeliness/efficiency of the Western Australian environmental impact assessment (EIA) process. Whilst few quantitative data exist on this issue, criticism of the EIA process for being too long and costly is a constant theme. We considered 88 completed EIAs. Times for the six key phases of the EIA process were reported, with the longest phase being the production of the environmental impact statement. Data were not available to examine the time taken for each of the three discrete steps that make up this phase, although some questions were posed as the basis for follow-up work. A key question that emerged from looking at the times of this phase and the next two longest phases is how important is scoping in determining any unforeseen delays in EIAs? The importance of EIA effectiveness was noted but not included in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restrictive scoping has emerged as a contentious issue in environmental assessment (EA) with developments in northern Canada on Aboriginal territorial homelands. Restrictive scoping potentially leads to the exclusion of potentially affected stakeholders, constrained impact assessment, and inadequate collection of baseline information and traditional knowledge. The First Diamond Mine in Ontario, Canada, is located on the Attawapiskat River in the western James Bay region. We examined whether the scoping applied in the EA process that led to the approval of the mine addressed the needs of First Nations located southeast of the mine, specifically Fort Albany First Nation on the Albany River. Our findings indicate that the proponent, De Beers Canada Inc., with the approval of government authorities, primarily consulted and worked with Attawapiskat First Nation through the EA process and largely excluded other First Nations in the region. Limitations of EA in the context of northern Canada are identified. The potential of emerging community-based and regional land use planning in Ontario's far north is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on environmental review practice in state departments of transportation in the US, the study examines the practices and effects of stakeholder involvement in scoping processes conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Based on a survey of environmental review staff in 46 of the 50 states, the study finds variation in approaches used by states and relatively high levels of perceived effectiveness. The findings include a number of internal and external factors that contribute to effectiveness and highlight the impacts of participation on the content and outcomes of scoping processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental impact assessment is used by countries around the world as a tool to enhance environmental protection. However, in developing nations such as India, it has yet to measure up to even procedural requirements. Of the many shortcomings, the newly introduced scoping stage is highlighted for its lack of avenues to examine issues of concern from the area under consideration. To strengthen the scoping stage for projects in rural areas, a methodology is presented to understand and assess, in an integrated manner, the ecological, social, physical and financial linkages of various livelihoods in a rural community. This methodology relies on local knowledge and perception and employs cognitive mapping to understand the linkages and derive a detailed list of indicators. The indicators are then developed into a questionnaire to record information regarding the status or trend (positive/negative) of each indicator and its spatial property (i.e. where it is found). The utility of the methodology is illustrated with an example from an Indian village. The methodology has the potential to enhance the investigation of current issues of concern in agro-ecosystems in India, and might be useful in other developing nations as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has shown that ecological scoping is the most important factor in determining the quality of environmental impact statements in Israel. Hence, improved ecological scoping has been called for. This paper identifies and discusses four fundamental dilemmas that need to be addressed in the ecological scoping process: biodiversity assessments, appropriate spatial and temporal scales, and cumulative ecological effects. The scientific, procedural and economic aspects of these dilemmas are discussed and practical suggestions for scoping presented: a modular ecological scoping process for early identification of the most detrimental projects, and a generic blueprint for ecological scoping, to help craft case-specific ecological guidelines [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impact assessment (IA) practice unfolded into several branches. Concerns that the proliferation of assessment types may impair effectiveness and nurture arguments detracting its qualities are voiced and result in calls for integration. This paper responds to the argument that integration could be achieved through better scoping. Additional evidence of specialization is provided while the Environmental and Social Performance Standards adopted by the International Finance Corporation are commented as an integrative approach to IA. Obstacles to better scoping are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inadequate integration and lack of focus have been identified as two main issues plaguing contemporary impact assessment. We agree but argue that these are but two of a plethora of ills that thwart environmental assessment and prevent it from becoming the go-to tool for sustainable development in Canada. We witness ongoing ineffective practice in scoping, impact prediction, significance determination, assessment of cumulative effects, and other elements. Fundamental change is needed in the environmental assessment system to turn it from a shallow adversarial process to a technically rigorous and collaborative one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]