Nonprofit Organizational Assessment

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Definitions for "social impact assessment" vary by different sectors and applications.
According to the International Association for Impact Assessment, "Social impact
assessment includes 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. Its primary purpose is to bring about a more sustainable
and equitable biophysical and human environment."
SIAs originate from the 1970s and were originally used in Anglo-Saxon environments
with indigenous peoples, like the United States, Canada and Australia. Use of SIA's, in
general in combination with Environmental Impact Assessments (ESIA) has since then
developed, and are legally required in many other countries, ranging from development
countries like Sierra Leone and Chad, emerging markets like Chili and Philippines but
also other OECD countries like Greenland and South Africa.
Increased pressure on available land and increasingly educated and competent local
communities can lead to high costs for public acceptance of complex projects with
adverse risks and effects. SIAs are increasingly seen as an effective instrument to bring
these costs down by determining views of affected communities on risks, effects and
mitigation measures based on a sound socio-economic baseline study.
The IFC Performance Standards are generally seen as the benchmark for ESIAs and
insert this in an overarching Envrironmental and Social Risk Management System,
which is based on proven risk management techniques. The IFC Performance Standard
is used by multinational companies and commercial investors. Commercial banks have
united themselves under the Equator Principles with over 90 members in 37 countries.
SIA overlaps with monitoring and evaluation (M&E). Evaluation is particularly important
in the areas of:
1. public policy,
2. health and education initiatives, and
3. international development projects more generally, whether conducted by
governments, international donors, or NGOs.
In all these sectors, there is a case for conducting SIA and evaluations at different
stages.
The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol is a sector specific method for
checking the quality of environmental and social assessments and management plans.
Non-experts and local people should participate in the design and implementation of
proposed developments or programmes. For example, in the field of research projects,
it can be identified what people using social media platforms say and share about the
social impact of science. This can be achieved in the process of doing an SIA, through
adopting a participatory and democratic research process. Some SIAs go further than
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