Instruments to Assess the Social Impacts of Value Chains

Abstract

The methods described in this chapter are designed to assess a relatively large number of social impacts caused by an action that influences the value chain. Some methods assess a single impact in a relatively accurate, fast, and generic manner; others assess several impacts, but are time-consuming and lack genericity. The methods are presented here based on the period (relative to the action) in which they occur (before, during, or after). There are four groups of methods for carrying out an ex-ante social impact assessment of an action: we can ask actors to state their expectations; we can extrapolate trends observed in the past; we can use figures obtained from environmental life cycle assessments; or we can rely on a combination of these different sources. The in itinere assessment methods are based on monitoring performance criteria. Either they are developed ad hoc for a particular case, or they rely on a dashboard of indicators that can either be general or specific to a sector, such as the agrifood sector. Methods for ex-post assessment, which assess the impacts of a completed action, differ based on whether or not they were subject to prior monitoring. The advantages and disadvantages of these different methods are reviewed, as are their optimal conditions for use. While CIRAD is currently working on all the methods mentioned here, it is focusing in particular on methods for predicting social impacts because they are best able to contribute to the design – or redesign – of agri-chains.