Impact Assessment (IA) is a means of measuring the effectiveness of organisational activities and judging the significance of changes brought about by those activities. It is neither Art or Science, but both. Policy Impact Assessments are formal, evidence-based procedures that assess the economic, social, and environmental effects of public policy, where they are incorporated into policy making, to make it more transparent, hence acceptable. Impact Assessment also assess the both intended and unintended impacts of value chain projects, measure the magnitude of the impacts, and determine the causal factors underlying the impacts. Impact studies determine one important factor: change. New policies are implemented to foster a change within the system to benefit individuals or an organisation. They measure the result of change from new policy. These types of studies inform policy makers about potential economic, social, and environmental effects.

An impact assessment (IA) is a process for identifying, predicting, and evaluating the environmental, health, social and economic impacts of development proposals before allowing them to proceed. This process includes opportunities for public engagement as well as Indigenous engagement, reconciliation and partnership. Impact assessment is an evaluation, whose purpose is to attribute, the outcomes and impacts to project operations.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA):
Environmental Impact Assessment is defined as an activity designed to identify the impact on the biogeophysical environment, on man and well-being of legislative proposals, projects, policies, operational procedures and to interpret and communicate information. EIA is a systematic process of identifying future consequences of a current or proposed action.

The objective of EIA is
(i) to identify, predict and evaluate the economic, environmental and social impact of development activities
(ii) to provide information on the environmental consequences for decision making and
(iii) to promote environmentally sound and sustainable development through the identification of ... Checklist means a listing of potential Environmental Impacts. ? This method is done to assess the nature of the impacts i.e. its type such as adverse /beneficial , short term or long term , no effect or significant impact , reversible or irreversible etc.

Evaluation research, also known as program evaluation, refers to research purpose instead of a specific method. Evaluation research is the systematic assessment of the worth or merit of time, money, effort and resources spent in order to achieve a goal. Evaluative research is undertaken to assess the worth or success of something: a programme, a policy or a project.

Social evaluation is not a method or technique like social surveys or participant observation. Evaluations replicate classic scientific experimental methods; also known as program evaluation. Evaluation research is a common research design that entails, carrying out a structured assessment of the value of resources committed to a project or specific goal.

Evaluation methods are the criteria for evaluating the success of a program or project. Evaluation methods allow the donor a way to know if you've achieved your goals and objectives. An impact evaluation relies on rigorous methods to determine the changes in outcomes which can be attributed to a specific intervention based on cause-and-effect analysis.

If you wish to get enganged and take the advantage of any of above activities of us at IISD-CMI's educational program, You are welcome to join us, as a Partner and collaborate for enhancing our professional strengh or can avail our Impact Assessment and Evaluation services, in related 51 focus areas of IISD-CMI, You can always Contact us at sustainableinstitute@gmail.com and contact@carbonminus.org
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