Planning for development using social impact assessment (SIA)

Abstract

Rural economic development activities change the physical and social environments that individuals live in. For planners, it is important to anticipate the types of changes that might occur, and to put measures in place that mitigate negative impacts, and promote positive impacts on people and communities. Social Impact Assessment (SIA) was introduced as a tool for understanding the social impacts of development. There are two factors however, that limit the use of SIA. First, there is no specific theoretical underpinning of the SIA tool, and thus no link between the SIA tool and particular theories of social behaviour. Second, there is no particular link between what SIA measures and what should be done to mitigate the effects of development activities. The purpose of this thesis is to address these two issues and in doing so, provide a SIA tool that can usefully be applied in places with different background settings and in a wider context. The theoretical basis of the SIA’s framework used in the thesis is ANT-K theory, which is modified from the Actor Network Theory (ANT). The framework consists of five steps of analysis: identification of relevant actors (human and non-human) due to development; exploration of the ownership of resources (capital) that enables principle actors to change; identification of change agents attached to the capital of principal actors; tracing which interests of actors are aligned to deal with the development; and, an analysis of the social change platform (mobilisation of actors) based on connections of all principal actors with other actors and how social change occurs. Each of these steps provides the basis for determining what should be assessed in SIA, how to structure the assessment, and how to interpret the results of an SIA. The case study shows that the framework enhances the understanding of the way social impacts can be predicted by tracing and exploring the root causes of social change, and connections with change agents. The factors that positively affect the possible changes identified for an area can then be used to support development activities. In addition, factors that can negatively affect the outcomes of change, such as weak resources and services, can be identified and modified into potential useable capital for development.