Environmental and Social Impact Assessment: public-developer information exchange dynamics during public participation processes in urban and rural projects in Malawi

In this paper, the authors report on the level of information exchange between consultants and the public in 12 Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) in Malawi. Six of the underlying projects are located in urban areas, while six are located in rural areas. We find that in all cases there is a prioritization of perceived positive economic outcomes over likely negative environmental and social impacts. Vested interests of consultants and developers as well as unrealistic expectations of local communities regarding desired economic benefits of development projects, paired with prevailing poverty levels, are key factors contributing to this outcome. In this context, we also found that most of the concerns of communities were subordinated to assumed economic benefits. This is particularly prevalent in rural areas.