Social Impact Assessment Development Project
Individuals, communities, and societies tend to be inherently unpredictable. Social Policy is not an exact science. Policy decisions - and the actions which flow from them - often bring in their wake unintended or unexpected consequences.
Project planners, policy-makers and those whose decisions impact on society do not simply leave it to guesswork, though. To be clear that their decisions are well-informed they will frame past experience, social ideals and aspirations for the future against the backdrop of a theoretical understanding of how society works.
Whilst financial impacts of decisions are usually more predictable, and we are getting better at predicting environmental impacts, the least well-developed aspect of impact assessment is currently Social Impact Assessment.
EVOC is leading on a process to develop a tool for partnerships and partners in Edinburgh to more accurately assess the probably, likely, or possible social impacts of their actions and/or decisions. In June 2011 the Edinburgh Partnership Board agreed that EVOC take forward a process of testing, refinement and development intended to yield a Social Impact Assessment framework or tool which could be used by politicians, policy-makers, the third sector, communities and all those with an interest in delivering the most positive social outcomes possible.
The Edinburgh Compact Partnership has agreed to move forward on 'mainstreaming a Social Value approach,' and this Social Impact Assessment project will help decision-makers adequately account for the impacts of their decisions on individuals, on communities, and on society at large - avoiding unintended harm and enhancing collateral benefits.
This Social Impact Assessment process builds on capability theory, and the tool is intended to supplement (not supplant) Equalities Impact Assessments which tend to be reasonably well understood.
We are keen to include and involve all those with an interest in this work as our approach becomes clearer. In the first instance, please contact Milind at EVOC on (0131) 555 9100.
Besides the paper agreed by the Edinburgh Partnership Board in June, we will also seek to share other information and resources on this topic. If you come across useful information you'd like to share, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
[Twitter Users might consider using the tag #SocialImpactAssessment]
Community Benefit Clauses | Social Impact Assesment | Compact Introduction |
Compact Partners | Compact Business |
Compact Staff
Compact Strategy |
NRG Introduction | NRG Members | NRG Business | VSSG Introduction | VSSG Members |
VSSG Business