Commercialising social research: Assessing social impacts of environmental policies

Driven by the current climate crisis, ambitious and controversial environmental targets are set across the world such as the aim to protect 30% of land and 30% of water by 2030 and the introduction of coastal managed retreat plans in areas at risk due to sea level rise. In order for these policies to be successful they need to be planned in collaboration with local communities. In this context, it is essential that social impacts of public policies (both positive and negative) are assessed and inform decision-making processes. The growing interest on impact assessments is also evident by a recent IFC report estimating that a total of $2.3 trillion have been invested for impact in 2020. These social impact assessments are often outsourced by agencies involved in policy decision-making. However, there is no widely accepted technique to conduct these kinds of assessments while the services offered by existing consultancies are not grounded on high quality research outputs.

Project Objectives

The proposed project aimed to fill this gap in the market by promoting the use of tools offering a different approach to social impact assessments of environmental policies promoting also key principles of good governance. As part of the project, a spin out social enterprise (EcoTransform) was created in order to commercialise IGSD’s research on this topic. EcoTransform aims to support governmental and non-governmental organisations to understand the full impact of policy interventions and identify pathways for transformative change to achieve better organisational, social and environmental outcomes. It provides services on a number of topics including policy evaluation, social impact assessments and training. The mission of EcoTransform is to maximise the benefits of nature for people. A commitment has been made to donate part of the profits to activities that promote people’s connection with nature to improve their health and wellbeing.