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| - Supplements: SIA |
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- Project: SIA Short Project |
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| - Project: SIA Long Project |
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| NEPA defines Social Impact Assessment (SIA) as a method of analyzing what impact a project or action, govt or private, may have on the social aspects of the environment | |||||
| The FSH 1909.17 defines SIA as a component of the Envl Analysis process in which social science info & methodology are used to determine how present programs or proposed actions may affect humans | |||||
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SIA is used by many govt agencies, & private orgs, who undertake projects which are so expansive in scope that they may impact lifestyles & ways of life of people in a community or even a region | ||||
| SIA is often done in conjunction w/ projects as diverse as a shopping maul, a logging sale, or an auto plant because each of these will have major impacts on the community & even the region in which they are found | |||||
| SIA & other social & econ analyses may be integrated w/ the env analysis process, the land mgt planning process, the urban development process, etc. | |||||
| A frequently used model for planning any type of project includes the
steps of
1. scoping 2. collecting data 3. interpreting data 4. formulating alternatives 5. estimating effects 6. determining the criteria for making a decision 7. selecting an alternative 8. implementation 9. monitoring |
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| The env analysis process has unique tasks in each of the steps of project planning | |||||
| See Also: The Env Impact Statement Process | |||||
| SIA has unique tasks in each of the steps of project planning, including | |||||
| In scoping, the social analyst conducts a preliminary investigation to identify or validate issues, select key vars for analysis, determine analysis areas, & assess data needs & sources | |||||
| The purpose of scoping for the social analyst is to identify public & agency concerns & mgt opportunities & threats | |||||
| In data collection & interpretation, the social analyst the depth of analysis depends on the importance of the expect social effects | |||||
| In formulating alts, the social analyst should assist decision makers by clarifying the potential social impacts of each alt | |||||
| In estimating the effects of the alts, the social analyst should examine all effects, direct & indirect, short, mid, & long term, & cumulative | |||||
| In determining the criteria for making a decision, & selecting an alternative the social analyst should w/ the decision makers prioritize criteria & alt & choose the best alt in relation to social factors & the physical or operational goals of the proposed project | |||||
| In implementing & monitoring the project, the social analyst should observe the effectiveness of the program, including mitigating efforts through direct observation, conversations w/ knowledgeable people | |||||
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The objectives of SIA are to |
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1. identify public needs, concerns, & demands |
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2. inform decision makers & the public about likely or potential social effects |
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| 3. contribute to effective public involvement | |||||
| 4. contribute to effective collaborative planning | |||||
| 5. assess effectiveness of program planning, implementation, & soc impact mitigation | |||||
| 6. operate outside our set(s) of assumptions via scientific assessments | |||||
| 7. decrease the element of risk of the project or action | |||||
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There are EIGHT Major SIA variables |
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| 1. Population characteristics |
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| 2. Community & institutional structure |
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| 3. Political & social resources |
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| 4. Individual & family factors |
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| 5. Community resources |
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| 6. Knowledge, Beliefs, Values, Norms, Attitudes, Opinions, Interests, Ideologies |
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| 7. Lifestyles |
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| 8. Economics |
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| Although every project, and every SIA, is unique, in most cases there is a series of more or less standard steps through which the analysis must proceed in order to achieve good results. |
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| There are FOURTEEN Steps in the SIA Process |
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| 1. Dev an effective public involvement plan, so that all affected interests will be involved |
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| 2. Conduct Scoping to identify the stakeholders & the issues |
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| 3. Identify and characterize alternatives |
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| 4. Define baseline conditions |
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| 5. Describe & project probable social impacts |
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| 6. Predict responses to impacts |
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| 7. Consider direct & indirect impacts, & short term , midterm, and long term impacts, & cumulative impacts |
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| 8. Recommend new alternatives if necessary |
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9. Develop a mitigation plan |
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| 10. Implement the project |
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11. Monitor the project |
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| 12. Evaluate the project |
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13. Modify the project as needed |
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