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After 50 years of social impact assessment, is it still fit for purpose?
- Source :
-
Current Sociology . Jul2024, Vol. 72 Issue 4, p774-788. 15p. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Social impact assessment is a field of applied social research that is now over 50 years old. With its ongoing evolution in practice and thinking, social impact assessment is a valued part of project development and will continue to be so. Over time, there has been a shift in understanding, from social impact assessment being a regulatory tool to now being the process of managing social issues throughout the life of a project. The range of issues considered has become much wider, now also including human rights. More than a tool or approach, social impact assessment is a discourse, a body of scholars and practitioners, a paradigm, and a philosophy about development and the rights of affected communities. The proper consideration of social impacts is now expected by all project stakeholders and is a requirement of international standards and project financing. There is now recognition of the need for projects to gain and maintain social acceptance, or a social license to operate and grow. Key current issues include: human rights; doing good rather than just doing no harm; benefit-sharing arrangements; Indigenous-led social impact assessment and community-based social impact assessment; and gender, LGBTQI+, two-spirit people, and intersectionality. Social impact assessment is increasingly being used to assist communities in negotiating Impact and Benefit Agreements (or Community Development Agreements). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00113921
- Volume :
- 72
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Current Sociology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 177759433
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1177/00113921231203189