Social Impact Assessment and International Good Practice

Most host country and donor impact assessment processes require at least co-equal consideration of the social impacts of proposed activities alongside environmental ones.

This has led to many agencies and organizations adopting the term “Environmental and Social Impact Assessment” (ESIA), replacing the older “Environmental Impact Assessment” (EIA). Others continue to use EIA as a term, but clarify that “environment” is inclusive of the human environment, and thus impacts are inclusive of social impacts. (See Principles of EIA page for an overview of the EIA process.)

USAID SIA-Related Resources

• Environmental Compliance Factsheet: Stakeholder Engagement in ESIA
• Guidelines on Compulsory Displacement and Resettlement in USAID Programming
• See also the USAID Social Visions, Strategies and Policies page.

Other SIA Resources

Note: listing does not imply USAID endorsement or required use on USAID activities.

• Asian Development Bank Environmental Impact Assessment for Developing Countries in Asia
• Inter-American Development Bank IDB-9: Environmental and Social Safeguards, including Gender Policy 
• International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards (2012) 
• United Nations.  A Comprehensive Guide to Social Impact Assessment 
• United States Forest Service (USFS) Economic and Social Analysis Handbook 
• World Bank A User’s Guide to Poverty and Social Impact Analysis
• IAIA's Social Impact Assessment: Guidance for Assessing and Managing the Social Impacts of Projects