Social impact assessment: practitioner perspectives of the neglected status in South African SIA

Abstract

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in South Africa is still considered to be a neglected component of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), but the perspectives of the practitioners on the status and practice of SIA have never been probed, despite their key role in SIA. This paper explores those perspectives by means of a two-part survey conducted with an availability sample of 11 SIA practitioners in 2012 and 13 practitioners in 2016 following a qualitative Action Research Approach. Four themes emerged (i.e. SIA in practice, Problems in SIA, Effectiveness of SIA and the Future of SIA). It is evident that the practitioners generally agree about the nature and purpose of SIA, that SIA has problems but is healthy and will benefit from some regulation, that SIA is an important and valuable tool, although with limited effectiveness, and the practitioners are optimistic about the future of SIA. The perspectives of the practitioners are aligned with international trends towards enhancement and sustainability assessment, but they must remain committed to best practice in SIA