This systematic, critical review of more than 600 recent publications in social impact assessment (SIA) and related fields is based on the authors' belief that SIA is more than an analytical technique--it is also a logical and timely response to our ever-growing need for more and better information to facilitate decision making in an increasingly c

The Guide is a tool for practitioners at all levels - social scientists, agency employees, community leaders, volunteers - to complete social impact assessments (SIAs) efficiently and effectively. The Guide is a how-to manual that provides the users with a step-by-step process easily followed by persons with minimal social science training. The Guide is organized into three sections: Chapters 1-6 provides the background, a short history, the conceptual model, the SIA scoping process and an explanation as to how to obtain data to measure SIA variables. Chapters 7-11 correspond to the five categories of SIA variables - population change, community and institutional arrangements, communities in transition, individual and family impacts and community infrastructure needs. Chapters 12-13 provide worksheets for summarizing SIA variables, and how resulting data may be used in the SIA mitigation/enhancement process.

Designed to provide clear and detailed assistance in the complex process of assessing social change, this book emphasizes the development of an analytic approach and a theoretical framework that can be applied to the assessment of very diverse events--changes in the natural environment, the local economy, or the dominant technology. The guide, based on a sociological perspective that highlights the importance of community social organization in analyzing social change, focuses on the development of user skills in assessment design, research, analysis, and presentation. The guide's theoretical basis and emphasis on the interrelationships that create social change make it valuable to those studying social change in general, as well as to those responsible for conducting or utilizing social impact assessments. Detailed "how to" information, clear writing, and careful design impart the skills necessary to identify and analyze the factors and processes leading to social change and to interpret and present research findings in an effective manner.