Research, consultation, planning, communications

Dialogue provides specialist services in social impact assessment including undertaking SIAs and providing expert evidence on matters related to social impact assessment.  Central to our approach is the rigorous application of robust qualitative and quantitative social science methods.

The company aligns its project design with the six principles for social impact assessment defined by the Interorganizational Committee on Principles and Guidelines for Social Impact Assessment1:

“Principle 1: Achieve extensive understanding of local and regional populations and settings to be affected by the proposed action, program or policy.” The guidelines for this principle cover: “Identify and describe interested and affected stakeholders and other parties; and develop baseline information (profiles) of local and regional communities.”

“Principle 2: Focus on the key elements of the human environment related to the proposed action, program or policy”. The guidelines for this principle cover: “Focus on key elements of the human environment; identify the key social and cultural issues related to the action or policy from the community and stakeholder profiles; and select social and cultural variables which measure and explain the issues identified.”

“Principle 3: The SIA is based upon sound and replicable scientific research concepts and methods.” This principle is based on the notion that “The SIA process subscribes to the ethic that good science (scholarship) will lead to informed and better decisions.” The guidelines for this principle cover: “research methods should be holistic in scope, i.e. they should describe all aspects of social impacts related to the action or policy: research methods must describe cumulative social effects related to the action or policy; ensure that methods and assumptions are transparent and replicable; select forms and levels of data collection analysis which are appropriate to the significance of the action or policy.”

“Principle 4: Provide quality information for use in decision-making.”  The guidelines for this principle cover: “collect qualitative and quantitative social, economic and cultural data sufficient to usefully describe and analyze all reasonable alternatives to the action; ensure that the data collection methods and forms of analysis are scientifically robust; and ensure the integrity of collected data.”

“Principle 5: Ensure that any environmental justice issues are fully described and analyzed.” The guidelines for this principle cover: “ensure that research methods, data, and analysis consider under-represented and vulnerable stakeholders and populations; consider the distribution of all impacts (whether social, economic, air quality, noise, or potential health effects) to different social groups (including ethnic/racial and income groups); undertake evaluation/monitoring and mitigation.”

“Principle 6: Undertake evaluation/monitoring and mitigation.” The guidelines for this principle cover: “establish mechanisms for evaluation and monitoring of the action, policy or program; where mitigation of impacts may be required, provide a mechanism and plan for assuring effective mitigation takes place; identify data gaps and plan for filling these data needs.”

Dialogue is careful, as discussed by Vanclay, to distinguish between the social change processes giving rise to social effects and the resulting effects.2  It is also careful to distinguish between the technical aspects of effects and the social dimension to avoid double counting.  Vanclay’s list of social effects is a useful framework for reference in considering possible effects of projects at the individual and community/institutional levels.

Dialogue has undertaken a wide range of social impact assessments since 1984 when we undertook an analysis of the social effects of horticulture development in Kerikeri.  Projects have covered a wide range of infrastructure including coal mining, water supply, sewage treatment and disposal, landfills, housing developments, airports, power stations, and motorways (click here for an outline of some of these projects).  Most recently Dialogue undertook the social impact assessment of a new 200km electricity transmission line from Whakamaru to South Auckland for Transpower New Zealand Ltd working on an environmental team led by Sylvia Allan, then of MWH New Zealand Ltd.   

1. 1. Interorganizational Committee on Principles and Guidelines for Social Impact Assessment, (2003), in Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 21,No. 3, pp 231-250, Beech Tree Publishing, Guildford, UK
   

2. 2.Vanclay, F (1999), Contributing Paper: Social Impact Assessment, World Commission on Dams, 16pp