SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Understanding the human dimension of development — rigorously, locally, and in the field.
What is Social Impact Assessment?
Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is the systematic process of identifying, analysing, and managing the intended and unintended social consequences of planned projects, programmes, and policies. For projects operating in fragile, complex environments like Haiti — where institutional trust is low, displacement risks are real, and community dynamics are easily disrupted — rigorous SIA is not a compliance formality. It is what makes interventions survive long enough to work.
When do you need SIA?
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Infrastructure development (roads, ports, energy, water, housing)
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ESIA compliance for environmental and social impact permitting
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Program design for humanitarian or development interventions
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IFC, IDB, World Bank, or EU project financing requirements
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Pre-crisis baseline studies and post-crisis recovery planning
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Community resettlement and land use change
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Agricultural and food system programs in rural areas
Our SIA Services
SocioDig provides full-cycle SIA services, delivered by a locally embedded team with 30 years of continuous presence across all regions of Haiti:
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Social baseline studies and household profiling
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Community consultation and FPIC (Free, Prior, and Informed Consent) facilitation
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Social screening and scoping
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Affected population identification and vulnerability mapping
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Social risk assessment and mitigation planning
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Grievance mechanism design and monitoring
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Real-time project monitoring (see: SMART)
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Post-implementation social audits and evaluation
Standards we work to
Our SIA work is designed to meet the requirements of major international financing and compliance frameworks:
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IFC Performance Standards (PS 1, 4, 5, 7)
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IDB Group Environmental and Social Policy
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World Bank Environmental and Social Framework (ESF)
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EU Environmental and Social Impact Assessment standards
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USAID Environmental Compliance requirements (22 CFR 216)
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OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
Why SocioDig?
Because effective SIA in Haiti requires what cannot be built quickly: nationwide field networks; deep linguistic fluency in Kreyòl, French, and English; decades of participatory research experience; and an institutional memory of how communities across every region of Haiti actually live, organise, and respond to intervention.
Data collection firms can measure. We interpret.