ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at specify fairly comprehensive or general methodologies for assessing social impact. Social impact assessment (SIA) methodology must be designed to enlighten and assist political choice, not to predict the future, SIA methodology should promote a systematic, orderly approach to the study of development problems. This is important because of contentiousness of policy issues, the vast amount of data that may be involved, and the need to simplify complex reality for busy decision makers. SIA methodology assists in satisfying the information needs of all the parties to a policy decision, as the policy-making process itself allows a free flow of information among interested parties. A systematic approach helps to define and equally important, to redefine the decision space as more facets of the problem become apparent. The no-action alternative approach to impact assessment was developed by the Transportation Research Board of the US National Research Council.
