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Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is about the ongoing processes of managing the social issues associated with projects and other planned interventions. Although there have been significant advances in the SIA field, paradigm and discourse, several existential threats remain. Advances include greater attention to: human rights due diligence; Indigenous peoples rights, self-determination and the principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC); psychosocial impacts; trauma-informed impact assessment; genuine and meaningful community engagement; benefit sharing; and livelihood impacts. Although SIA is about managing social issues across the project lifecycle, growing interest brings fragmentation and narrow task definition in social practice and social performance. SIA’s future potential is challenged by fast-tracking projects, often under the guise of national security or the energy transition. ‘Environmental, Social and Governance’ (ESG) is another threat for SIA. With the current global political climate, a weakening of international and national requirements for SIA may happen. Persistent biases inherent in proponent-driven processes are barriers to effective social practice. Adaptive social management is necessary, especially to address any unknown unknowns that may arise in the life of projects. To foster equitable and sustainable development, effectively steering the discursive shifts within SIA and strategically leveraging opportunities are vital.
Aucamp et al. (Tue,) studied this question.