Effectiveness in Social Impact Assessment资料文件与下载

COMMENTARY

In this reading, "Effectiveness in Social Impact Assessment: Aboriginal Peoples and Resource Development in Australia," Ciaran O’Faircheallaigh explores the features of an effective social impact assessment (SIA) by looking at the case of oil and gas development on aboriginal land. He acknowledges that there are competing definitions of SIA effectiveness, highlighting that effectiveness may look different to stakeholders with divergent interests.

The article explains that developers have historically excluded aboriginal groups from impact assessment efforts and ignored their concerns. This has led to projects that made their lives even more difficult, furthering their marginalization. In the Australian context, this has involved resource development on aboriginal lands.

Recent efforts to legitimize the claims of Australian aboriginal groups and state recognition of their traditional land rights has accorded them more say in the development of their lands. The author holds up SIA as a tool for aboriginal groups to further realize their interests by ensuring that development of their lands benefits them.

O’Faircheallaigh points to two levels of SIA effectiveness. First, aboriginal groups themselves must control the SIA process to ensure their interests are taken into account. The findings of aboriginally-controlled SIAs can be used as a basis for negotiating legal agreements. Second, while aboriginal control is a prerequisite for SIA effectiveness, it must be paired with a range of specific activities. O’Faircheallaigh lists ten:

1.   Understand the nature and extent of impacts likely to be associated with the proposed project 

2.   Conduct an initial estimation of the ‘sphere of impact;’ 

3.   Explore the existing social, cultural, economic, and political conditions within the ‘sphere of impact;’ 

4.   Uncover the values and priorities of affected groups/peoples; 

5.   Communicate the nature and extent of impact factors and key baseline data to the affected groups in a form they can readily comprehend; 

6.   Revisit issues of impact factors and ‘sphere of impact;’ 

7.   Understand the nature and extent of likely social impacts if there is no intervention to minimize costs and maximize benefits, given the values/priorities of affected groups;

8.   Communicate proposed strategies to affected groups to enable them to make informed decisions in relation to proposed projects;

9.   Negotiate  agreements with decision makers that spell out mechanisms to ensure the strategies are implemented;

10.  Monitor impacts and effectiveness of strategies throughout a project’s life and reconsider project parameters and adjust strategies as required.

O’Faircheallaigh concludes by emphasizing that SIAs are inherently political. Effective SIAs must first acknowledge and then manage these politics. They must also be ongoing --  recommendations should be translated into action both upon the approval of a project and through the life of a project to ensure compliance.

Reflection questions:

1.   What responsibilities do socially responsible real estate developments have towards historically marginalized groups? How can SIA play a part in fulfilling these responsibilities?

2.   Does a socially-responsible developer have a duty to continue monitoring the impacts of their project after development?

READING

Effectiveness in Social Impact Assessment: Aboriginal Peoples and Resource Development in Australia