Social impact assessment in the Russian Federation:does it meet the key values of democracy and civil society?

• Published in: Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal
• Main Authors: Gulakov, Ilya, Vanclay, Frank
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Good international industry practice; public participation; community engagement; extractive industries and society; environmental licensing; environmental permitting; human rights; INDIGENOUS PEOPLES; large PROJECTS; INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS; social MANAGEMENT; Corporate Social Responsibility; RISKS; SIA; Eia; Yakutia
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/d81359f3-e25f-43d6-a4c0-6374e269bc5c; https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/d81359f3-e25f-43d6-a4c0-6374e269bc5c; https://doi.org/10.1080/14615517.2018.1507111; https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/66212146/Social_impact_assessment_in_the_Russian_Federation_does_it_meet_the_key_values_of_democracy_and_civil_society.pdf

Contemporary social impact assessment (SIA) is rooted in the concepts of civil society and democracy. We analyse whether SIA as practiced in the Russian Federation as part of environmental impact assessment (EIA) is consistent with the key values of civil society and democracy. We consider whether the Russian EIA requirements enable preparation of meaningful assessments that effectively contribute to the decision-making processes that affect people's lives. We review the Rsussian EIA legislation and its requirements for SIA and social baseline, and consider the EIA/SIA practice undertaken in response to these requirements. We specifically analyse the Karmen coal mining project in South Yakutia. We compare the EIA documents completed according to national requirements against the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) documents prepared to be consistent with international standards, as defined by the International Finance Corporation Performance Standards. We conclude that the national requirements for SIA in Russia and the way they are implemented do not encourage the development of meaningful SIAs that comply with the key concepts and social values of SIA, civil society and democracy.