MALAYSIAN ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (MSIA) : THE HISTORY OF SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

08 December 2013

THE HISTORY OF SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Social impact assessment has its roots in government measures designed to understand the impact of public service programs. Since the 1990s, venture philanthropists, foundations, high-performing nonprofits, and social investors have entered the assessment field, experimenting with a range of tools, frameworks, and best practices. Take a walk through six decades and see how social impact assessment has evolved, and what it suggests for the future

1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000

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What is Social Impact Assessment?

The Interorganizational Committee on Guidelines and Principles has defined 'social impacts’ as 'the consequence on human populations of any public or private actions - that alter the ways in which people live, play, relate to one another, organise to meet their needs and generally cope as members of society'. Social Impact Assessment is thus a process to identify, predict, evaluate and communicate information about impacts of a proposed project, policy, programme or plan on a community and their activities, and to detail mitigation measures prior to approval and implementation.

Among others, SIA entails the following scope (but not limited to):-

(i)		analyse and forecast the probable and unintended social impacts to individuals and to the community arising from a development;
(ii)		propose actions to optimize the positive impacts of development, so that the quality of life of the community could be enhanced;
(iii)		propose actions to overcome negative impacts of development so that the quality of life of the community are preserved;
(iv)		monitor the effectiveness of actions taken;
(v)		outcome of SIA can be used for consideration of proposed development approvals.

SIA is often done to choose the best development option based on public participation. Thus, SIA is highly beneficial to project proponents, individuals, communities, government agencies, local authorities, and NGOs – thereby contributing to better governance through transparency and informed decision-making. Most importantly, the SIA process empowers the public in shaping their communities.

Social Impact Assessment to be Mandatory

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 2008 – The Government is set to adopt a radical approach in the planning of development projects by enforcing the social impact assessment. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said the government was developing a blue print for such an assessment to facilitate and encourage its wider implementation at the policy, planning, programme and project levels. Towards this end, she said her ministry’s Institut Sosial Malaysia had implemented training programmes to increase the number of trained professionals in social impact assessment.“For too long, social impacts have been subordinated to economic concerns and little consideration given to the effects of development (in social aspects),” Dr Ng said in her speech at the opening of a seminar, Social Impact Assessment In The Asean Region, today. Her speech was read by ministry secretary-general Datuk Faizah Mohd Tahir. Dr Ng said social problems could be avoided or minimised if social impact assessment was implemented as it empowered the public in shaping their communities through transparency and informed decision-making.Meanwhile, Malaysian Association of Social Impact president Professor Asmah Ahmad said the legal requirements of the social impact assessment under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was not fully implemented in the country.“There should be a detailed report on social impacts before any development projects are carried out,” she told reporters on the sidelines of the seminar : Source Bernama