manual for social impact assessment of land-based ... - Forest Trends

The PIA guide proposes the following eight steps:
1. Define the questions to be answered
Identification of the key issues and research questions should be based on a clear understanding of
the project logic and objectives (as in SIA Stage 3).
2. Define the geographical and time limits of the project
Participatory mapping and historical timelines are recommended for this step.
3. Identify and prioritize locally defined impact indicators
PIA proposes the use of impact indicators identified by the community participants. Communities
have their own priorities for improving their lives, and their own ways of measuring change. Their
priorities and indicators are often different to those identified by external actors. PIA suggests that
participatory indicators can be obtained via a simple questioning process with project participants,
e.g., what changes do you expect in your lives due to the project? What changes in your lives have
already occurred due to the project? etc. Appropriate follow-up questions can then probe for more
specific evidence of change.
4. Decide which methods to use and test them out
This refers to the data collection methods used to measure the selected indicators. It is noted that
each method (presented below) has its strengths and weaknesses, and some are more appropriate
in certain cultures. It is noted that the numbers produced from scoring exercises can be meaningless
without the reasoning to explain them. They must therefore be conducted as part of a semistructured
interview process, and not in isolation. The importance of testing the methods is also
stressed; it is best to do this in non-project communities.
5. Decide which sampling method and sample size to use
The sampling method is likely to be purposive (e.g., selection of ‘typical villages’) or random
sampling. There is no simple answer to the question of what sample size to use: this depends on the
type and number of questions and methods used. In most situations, the important thing is to
capture the overall trend, and this can usually be done with a reasonably small sample size as long as
the methods are applied consistently.
A principle of the PIA approach is that statistical analysis is possible if the same tool is applied
consistently using the same indicators, the same number of counters, the same visual aids, the same
questions, etc. Even though the data may be subjective, and qualitative indicators are used, if the
exercises are repeated identically and systematically, data from 10-15 repetitions can be enough to
be regarded as “scientifically rigorous” according to Catley et al (2008: 47).
Social Impact Assessment of Land-Based Carbon Projects (1.0) – Part II | 46