121-421 Social Impact Assessment

Credit Points:

Coordinator:

Timetable:

Contact:

Objectives:

To provide students with the conceptual and technical skills to: understand the relationship between society and development; assess the social impact of development; be skilled in the techniques needed to undertake social impact assessments. At the completion of the subject students should:

• recognise and understand the various ways of conceptualising the relationships between society and development;

• understand the social and economic impacts of development in terms of the role of the state, public policy and market forces;

• understand the role of non-government organisations and procedures of community consultation in dispute resolution;

• understand the nature of impacts and risks;

• understand the uneven outcomes of development impacts and the varying capacities of different sectors to deal with these impacts;

• be able to recognise and recommend practical solutions for a wide variety of developmental impacts on society;

• have experience in the preparation of social impact assessment documentation;

• be able to design and implement a social impact assessment.

Content:

The nature and range of the social impacts of development: including externalities, risk, benefit. Procedures for assessing social impacts of development. The role of various political formations (the state, non-government organisations and grass roots action) in regulating the social impacts of development. Community consultation and dispute resolution. The relationship between economic restructuring (privatisation) and social impacts of development. The social survey techniques needed to undertake social impact assessments (quantitative and qualitative). The preparation of professional reports, tenders and assessments.

Assessment: