Decision Making for Sustainable Use and Development - Coastal Lagoons: Ecosystem Processes and Modeling for Sustainable Use and Development - page 351

8.4.6.2 Social Impact Analysis (SIA)

Social impact analysis (SIA) is used interchangeably with socio-economic impact
analysis. 64 SIA includes impacts to health and welfare, recreational and aesthetic
values, land and housing values, job opportunities, community cohesion, life
styles, governmental activities, physiological well-being, and behavioral response
by individuals, groups, and communities. In SIA, advanced appraisal of the impacts
of development projects or policy changes on individual and community quality
of life are recommended.
Governmental and private programs, policies, and projects have the potential to
cause significant changes in many aspects of the social environment. 65 These changes
can be beneficial or detrimental. Accordingly, the SIA and EIA process should
systematically be used to identify, quantify, and interpret the significance of the
anticipated changes. SIA has been more recently included in the environmental
impact assessment process.
The SIA process should:

• Involve all related social groups and individuals. Communication with the
representatives of these social and economic groups should be established
and maintained between the affected groups, the owner/developers of the
project, and the decision makers.
• Identify impact equity. It is important to identify and separately assess
the impacts to each different social group as well as to the general public
as a whole. An impact may be determined to be beneficial, when assessed
as a whole; however, it might adversely affect a number of social groups.
• Identify the focus of the study. It is often not possible or feasible to assess
all social and economic indicators in an SIA; therefore, it is advisable to
select indicators that best assess those socio-economic aspects of concern.
Just as biological indicators can be used as a tool for the decision maker
(Section 8.4.3), selection of the most relevant socio-economic indicators
can produce more focused and effective results for management decisions.
• Identify the method. Assessment methods should be determined and their
limitations and assumptions should be recognized. The data and predic-
tions that cannot be adequately described should be documented.
• Inform project owners/applicants at various stages of the assessment.
Proactive communication with project owners/applicants provides infor-
mation on project costs and progress to all the parties involved.
• Involve social, economic, and environmental experts in order to provide
accurate and balanced information.

• Develop a plan for monitoring and mitigating project impacts.

It should be recognized that social and economic impacts affect each other and
are, therefore, clearly interrelated. Examples of categories of impacts that demon-
strate this interrelationship are economic, demographic, social, fiscal, and quality of
life. Modeling economic and demographic impacts provide basic information for
addressing public service aspects such as education, health services, police and fire
protection, utilities, and solid waste management. Social impacts include housing,