TY - CHAP
T1 - Transformative Outcomes: The Use of Social Impact Measurement
AU - Paterson-Young, Claire
AU - Hazenberg, Richard
PY - 2020/5/6
Y1 - 2020/5/6
N2 - The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outline targets and indicators to address systemic barriers to sustainable development (Costanza et al. 2016). The SDGs provide a blueprint for the development of a sustainable, peaceful and prosperous planet, with all United Nations Members States encouraged to adopt the agenda (UN Sustainable Development Goals 2020). Adopting the SDG agenda creates pressure on Member States to develop and/or fund services that address the systemic barriers to sustainable development, and more specifically, transform outcomes. This creates an opportunity for organisations to maximise funding by introducing a measurement approach that, not only captures the organisations success in transforming outcomes, but aligns organisational activities with the SDGs. Social impact measurement enables organisations to highlight the benefit of activities, aligned to the SDGs, by identifying short-, medium- and long-term outcomes and impact (Nicholls 2009; Clifford et al. 2013). It requires an understanding of the scope of the programme (outputs of the programme); the positive and negative outcomes experienced by beneficiaries (outcomes for the beneficiary group); the changes for beneficiaries and society over time (impacts on society); the role of different stakeholders/partners in this change (alternative attribution); and the changes that would have occurred regardless of the programmes delivery (deadweight/control group). Understanding developments in social impact measurement, the approaches to measurement and the areas for measurement are therefore essential in establishing an appropriate framework. Furthermore, understanding the role of multi-stakeholder approaches to programme design, delivery and evaluation is critical in social impact measurement (Hazenberg, Seddon and Denny 2015), especially in developing a holistic social impact measurement framework to promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies. From this perspective therefore, social impact measurement approaches can provide a mechanism for better understanding the strategic delivery of the SDGs, whilst also quantifying the roles (and impact delivered) of the various stakeholder groups involved at the operational level in achieving the SDG indicators.
AB - The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outline targets and indicators to address systemic barriers to sustainable development (Costanza et al. 2016). The SDGs provide a blueprint for the development of a sustainable, peaceful and prosperous planet, with all United Nations Members States encouraged to adopt the agenda (UN Sustainable Development Goals 2020). Adopting the SDG agenda creates pressure on Member States to develop and/or fund services that address the systemic barriers to sustainable development, and more specifically, transform outcomes. This creates an opportunity for organisations to maximise funding by introducing a measurement approach that, not only captures the organisations success in transforming outcomes, but aligns organisational activities with the SDGs. Social impact measurement enables organisations to highlight the benefit of activities, aligned to the SDGs, by identifying short-, medium- and long-term outcomes and impact (Nicholls 2009; Clifford et al. 2013). It requires an understanding of the scope of the programme (outputs of the programme); the positive and negative outcomes experienced by beneficiaries (outcomes for the beneficiary group); the changes for beneficiaries and society over time (impacts on society); the role of different stakeholders/partners in this change (alternative attribution); and the changes that would have occurred regardless of the programmes delivery (deadweight/control group). Understanding developments in social impact measurement, the approaches to measurement and the areas for measurement are therefore essential in establishing an appropriate framework. Furthermore, understanding the role of multi-stakeholder approaches to programme design, delivery and evaluation is critical in social impact measurement (Hazenberg, Seddon and Denny 2015), especially in developing a holistic social impact measurement framework to promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies. From this perspective therefore, social impact measurement approaches can provide a mechanism for better understanding the strategic delivery of the SDGs, whilst also quantifying the roles (and impact delivered) of the various stakeholder groups involved at the operational level in achieving the SDG indicators.
KW - Social Impact Measurement
KW - Sustainable Development Goals
KW - Institutions
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-319-71066-2_108-1
DO - 10.1007/978-3-319-71066-2_108-1
M3 - Entry for Dictionary/Encyclopedia
SN - 978-3-319-95959-7
T3 - Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
BT - Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
A2 - Leal Filho, Walter
A2 - Marisa Azul, Anabela
A2 - Brandli, Luciana
A2 - Lange Salvia, Amanda
A2 - Gökçin Özuyar, Pinar
A2 - Wall, Tony
PB - Springer International Publishing AG
ER -
