Issues-oriented approach to social assessment and project appraisal

An historical and international perspective highlights turning points in the development of social assessment and helps to identify both persistent difficulties and constraints, and potential of, the field, including problems of philosophy, process, focus, concept and method. An issues-oriented and consultative approach to collecting, organising and validating information for social assessment of projects is advocated here. This approach operates within a process that includes scoping, profiling, examination of alternatives, estimation of effects, and the monitoring, mitigation and management of change.