Social Impact Assessment international best practice

Get Complete Project Material File(s) Now! »

Introduction

South Africa faces a number of challenges such as poverty, inequality, unemployment, an education system that yields below global average results, migration, inadequate healthcare, insufficient energy, water quality and quantity issues, food security, crime and corruption. These challenges can be classified under the social, economic and biophysical environment, which form the three pillars of sustainable development (Mauerhofer, 2013:63). At the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (or Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro, and a decade later at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit +10) in Johannesburg, the world embraced the concept of sustainable development to redress impending problems of poverty and environmental degradation (Aucamp, Woodborne, Perold, Bron & Aucamp, 2011:38). The need for sustainable development was reaffirmed at the Rio+20 conference that was held in 2012, 20 years after the original meeting (UNGA, 2012).
It was affirmed that the eradication of poverty is the greatest challenge facing the world and a crucial requirement for sustainability (UNGA, 2012). The outcomes of the Rio+20 conference are summarised in a document titled: The$future$we$want (United Nations (UN), 2012). The balance between a sustainable future and present needs rests on three pillars: social development, economic development and environmental protection (Aucamp et al., 2011:40). These are echoed in The$ Future$ we$ want when it states that: “We$ recognise$ that$people$are$at$the$centre$of$sustainable$development$and$in$this$regard$we$strive$for$a$ world$ that$is$just,$equitable$ and$inclusive,$ and$we$ commit$ to$work$ together$ to$ promote$ sustained$ and$ inclusive$ economic$ growth,$ social$ development$ and$ environmental$ protection$and$thereby$benefit$all”$(UN, 2012).

Social’Development

Social development is contextDspecific and the international community has not adopted a single definition or conceptual framework. Embedded in the key aspects of social development (Midgley, 2014; 1995) as indicated above, in the broadest sense social development is “a process of planned social change designed to promote the wellbeing of the population as a whole within the context of a dynamic multifaceted development process” (Midgley 2014:13). Any definition of social development should discourage dependency; promote the active involvement of people in their own development; employ a multiDfaceted and multiDsector approach; and encourage partnership between the state, provincial government and all other stakeholders in welfare (Gray, 1996:9). The definition of social development adopted in this study places people in the centre of development efforts while encouraging partnerships between different role players as these elements are essential for sustainable and effective poverty reduction (World Bank, 2004:1). Social development contributes to poverty alleviation in different ways, including economic development, infrastructure development, skills development and social entrepreneurship.

Problem’statement’and’rationale

The biggest challenges that South Africa as a nation faces are poverty and inequality (NPC, 2012:3). Millions of South Africans are still excluded socially and economically, and the NDP aims to address this (NPC, 2012:3). Building sustainable human communities is one of the key focus areas of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development and Action Plan (NSSD1) published by the Department of Environmental Affairs (Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), 2011:28). The NSSD1 defines a sustainable human settlement as “meeting the different needs of its residents, including housing, basic services, community facilities, transport and livelihood/job opportunities, while at the same time, being sensitive to the surrounding ecosystems and natural resources” (DEA, 2011:28).
There is a clear link between the NDP and the NSSD1. The DEA regulates the EIA industry in South Africa, and in terms of environmental legislation and regulations, SIA in South Africa is fully integrated in EIA (Du Pisani & Sandham, 2006:711) and is therefore part of this process. The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) 107 of 1998 gives the social component of environmental management equal status to environmental and economic components and emphasises that people and their needs must be the first priority of environmental management (Du Pisani & Sandham, 2006:712). There is therefore a clear directive for an integrated environmental and social science approach to environmental manag

Research’methodology

This study made use of pragmatism as a research approach in an attempt to ensure that practitioners can use the outcomes. In line with the pragmatic approach, an exploratory, mixed methods design was used for the study, as the relationship between SIA and social development was studied in depth and the prevalence of social development indicators in SIA were measured (Delport & Fouché, 2011:441). Using a mixed methods designs allows for easier collaboration between academics and practitioners (Giacobbi, Pocswardowski & Hager, 2005:28), which is seen as an important potential outcome of this study, as most SIA practitioners in South Africa are not academics. The study aims to solve a practical problem, and therfore it is classified as applied research. The study was conducted in two phases: a qualitative component explored the perceptions of the SIA community about the practice of SIA, and a quantitative component was used to analyse a sample of SIA reports that are available in the public domain to determine whether social development aspects are reflected in these reports.
The first phase of the mixed method design, the qualitative study, used an instrumental case study as design (Delport, Fouché & Schurink, 2011:320). Interviews and World Cafés were used as data collection methods. The second phase of the mixed method design, the quantitative study, used a structured nonDparticipant observation design (Babbie, 2010:300 Bryman & Bell, 2003:178; Kelly, 2011:309). Fifteen SIA reports were analysed by means of univariate analysis and a Guttman scale. A detailed discussion on the research methodology and ethical considerations are presented in Chapter 5.

Social’work’and’the’bioaphysical’environment

Given the role that social workers can potentially play in environmental justice (see Section 2.3), and in the context of this study, linking social development and SIA, it is necessary to briefly investigate the relationship between social work and the natural environment (McKinnon, 2008:257). From an environmental perspective it is undisputed that aspects such as climate change, biodiversity, limited sources of energy and clean water, food security and the availability of arable land have a distinct social dimension (Peeters, 2012:287; Shaw, 2013:4; UN, 2011b:4). There is a clear link between social and ecological problems (Peeters, 2012:287). The social and political dimensions of sustainability cannot be denied (McKinnon, 2008:265; Dominelli, 2012:26). The Global Agenda for Social Work (2012:4) commits social workers to promote sustainable communities and environmentally sensitive development. Dominelli (2012:3) uses the term “green social work” and reasons that as a response to the environmental crises, social work should challenge and address poverty, structural inequalities, socioDeconomic differences, development processes, consumption patterns, international linkages and inadequate natural resources.

Poverty’

As previously indicated, poverty and inequality remain among the biggest challenges in South African society (NPC, 2012:3), whilst the eradication of poverty and inequality are central to social development. This section commences with a discussion on poverty. It includes a presentation on wellbeing and the capabilities approach, which are related to poverty alleviation. It is followed by a discourse on income inequality and nonDincome dimensions of inequality in the South African context, in order to get a better understanding of why social development is a priority and is used as an instrument for development. The section concludes with a discussion on vulnerability.

Table’of’Contents :

• Chapter’1. General’orientation’and’introduction
  • 1.1 Introduction
  • 1.2 Problem statement and rationale
  • 1.3 Research goal and objectives
  • 1.4 Research methodology
  • 1.5 Structuring of the thesis
• Chapter’2. Theoretical’framework’for’the’study
  • 2.1 Introduction
  • 2.2 Schematic representation of theoretical framework
  • 2.3 Developmental social work
  • 2.3.1 Social development
  • 2.3.2 Social security and the social protection floor
  • 2.3.3 Social work and the bioDphysical environment
  • 2.4 Poverty
  • 2.4.1 Defining poverty
  • 2.4.2 Poverty and inequality
  • 2.5 Human rights
  • 2.6 Summary
• Chapter’3. SIA’in’the’South’African’context
  • 3.1 Introduction
  • 3.2 Social Impact Assessment
  • 3.3 The South African context for SIA
  • 3.3.1 Geography, demographics, migration and xenophobia
  • 3.3.2 Culture, race and reconciliation
  • 3.4 Government and administration
  • 3.5 Social Impact Assessment international best practice
  • 3.5.1 Free, Prior, Informed Consent
  • 3.5.2 Impact and Benefit Agreements
  • 3.5.3 Social Impact Management Plans
  • 3.6 Summary
• Chapter’4. Legal’and’institutional’framework’for’social’development’in’the’ environmental’field
  • 4.1 Introduction
  • 4.2 The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa
  • 4.3 South African Environmental and Social Development Legislation
  • 4.3.1 The National Environmental Management Act 107 of
  • 4.3.2 The National Water Act 36 of
  • 4.3.3 The Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 of
  • 4.3.4 The National Heritage Resources Act 25 of
  • 4.3.5 Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of
  • 4.3.6 Development Facilitation Act 67 of
  • 4.3.7 The White Paper for Social Welfare (RSA, 1997)
  • 4.3.8 The White Paper on Population Policy (RSA, 1998a)
  • 4.4 Additional governance tools
  • 4.4.1 Local Agenda
  • 4.4.2 Integrated Development Plans
  • 4.4.3 Provincial Growth and Development Strategies
  • 4.4.4 National Development Plan
  • 4.4.5 Millennium Development Goals
  • 4.5 National and international standards
  • 4.5.1 ISO 26000:2010/SANS 26000:
  • 4.5.2 International Social Performance Standards/Initiatives
  • 4.6 Summary
• Chapter’5. Research’methodology
  • 5.1 Introduction
  • 5.2 Research paradigm and approach
  • 5.3 Type of research
  • 5.4 Research design
  • 5.4.1 Qualitative study
  • 5.4.2 Quantitative study
  • 5.5 Research methods
  • 5.5.1 Study population and sampling
  • 5.5.2 Data collection
  • 5.5.3 Pilot study
  • 5.5.4 Data analysis
  • 5.6 Reliability, validity and trustworthiness of the data
  • 5.6.1 Qualitative study
  • 5.6.2 Quantitative study
  • 5.7 Reflexivity
  • 5.8 Ethical aspects
  • 5.8.1 Voluntary participation
  • 5.8.2 Informed consent
  • 5.8.3 Anonymity and confidentiality
  • 5.8.4 Cooperation with contributors
  • 5.8.5 Publication of the findings
  • 5.9 Limitations of the study
  • 5.10 Summary
• Chapter’6. Presentation’of’empirical’findings
  • 6.1 Introduction
  • 6.2 Qualitative study: Insights in current SIA practice
  • 6.2.1 Theme 1: Motivation for SIA from the perspective of different role players
  • 6.2.2 Theme 2: Current challenges to SIA practice from different perspectives
  • 6.2.3 Theme 3: Important aspects to consider when conducting SIA
  • 6.2.4 Theme 4: Ensuring more effective SIA in a number of ways
  • 6.2.5 Theme 5: Improving the practice of SIA
  • 6.2.6 Summary of qualitative findings
  • 6.3 Quantitative study: Inclusion of social development aspects in SIA reports
  • 6.3.1 Description of the quantitative sample
  • 6.3.2 Presentation of findings
  • 6.3.3 Guttmann analysis of the findings
  • 6.3.4 Summary of quantitative findings
  • 6.4 Summary
• Chapter’7. Discussion’of’empirical’findings
  • 7.1 Introduction
  • 7.2 Discussion of themes
  • 7.2.1 Theme 1: The potential of SIA to contribute to social development outcomes
  • 7.2.2 Theme 2: Relationship between the practice of SIA and the government
  • 7.2.3 Theme 3: Relationship between SIA practice and community involvement
  • 7.2.4 Theme 4: SIA practice and its relationship with the private sector
  • 7.2.5 Theme 5: Professional development in the SIA field required to strengthen and improve SIA practice
  • 7.3 Summary
• Chapter’8. Conclusions’and’recommendations
  • 8.1 Introduction
  • 8.2 Goal and objectives of the study
  • 8.3 Key findings and conclusions
  • 8.4 Recommendations
  • 8.4.1 Strategy to implement SIA as a tool for social development
  • 8.4.2 Recommendations regarding the processes followed by different stakeholders to implement the strategy
  • 8.4.3 Recommendations regarding operational issues
  • 8.4.4 Recommendations for the implementation of the strategy and future
  • research
  • References
  • Appendix’A
  • Appendix’B
  • Appendix’C
  • Appendix’D

GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT
Social’Impact’Assessment’as’a’tool’for’social’development’ in’South’Africa:’An exploratory’study