Terminology

89 terms from the sidebar. Select a term for its definition, metadata, and sources.

Term	Definition in brief
action plan	a document defining actions for ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policy mandates
adverse possession	a method of acquiring title to real property by possession for a statutory period under certain conditions
air pollution	The release of air pollutants, including particulates, combustion gases, and other contaminants.
archaeological site	concentrated and patterned physical remains of past human activity, especially human settlement.
artifact	a portable object that is created by past human activity
associated facilities	Facilities or activities not funded as part of a project but directly related to it, developed contemporaneously, and necessary for its viability.
biodiversity	variety of life in all its forms, including genetic, species and ecosystem diversity
biodiversity offsets	Measurable conservation outcomes intended to compensate for residual biodiversity impacts after avoidance, minimization, and restoration measures.
borrower environmental and social framework	A borrower’s policy, legal, and institutional framework for assessing and managing environmental and social risks and impacts.
census	the official process of counting a population of a given jurisdiction
chance find procedure	A procedure for managing previously unknown cultural heritage encountered during project activities.
civil society	a network of actors, associations, agencies and institutions operating between the state and the market
collective attachment	Generational physical presence and economic ties to land and territories traditionally owned, used, or occupied by a community.
community representatives	People or organizations that represent a community, including customary leaders, local officials, and civil society representatives.
compensation in kind	compensation for losses that cannot be easily valued or compensated for in monetary terms
consent of affected indigenous peoples communities	a collective expression by the affected Indigenous Peoples communities, through individuals and/or their recognized representatives, of broad community support for the project activities.
consultation	a process of two-way communication between project developers and stakeholders in which views, preferences, and information are exchanged in a culturally appropriate manner, within locally-appropriate time frames, and using locally-understood languages and communication formats
country safeguard systems	national, subnational, or sectoral implementing institutions and relevant laws, regulations, rules, and procedures that pertain to the policy areas of environmental and social safeguards
critical habitat	subset of both natural and modified habitat that deserves particular attention.
cultural heritage	any non-renewable resource possessing cultural, scientific, spiritual or religious value
cultural landscape	an area where traditional land-use patterns have created and maintained landscape features that reflect a particular culture, life-way, or historical time period which merits consideration as a heritage resource
cumulative impact assessment	Assessment of a project’s impacts together with those of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable developments.
cumulative impact	A project’s incremental impact when combined with impacts from other activities over time.
customary use	patterns of long-standing community land and resource use
cut-off date	date of completion of the census and assets inventory of persons affected by a project
design and monitoring framework	A results-based tool for project design, monitoring, and management.
direct impact	An impact caused by a project that occurs at the same time and place as the project activity.
disadvantaged or vulnerable people	People more likely to be adversely affected by a project, or less able to benefit from or participate in it.
disclosure	the act of disseminating information.
displacement - displaced persons	those who are physically displaced (relocation, loss of residential land, or loss of shelter) and/or economically displaced (loss of land, assets, access to assets, income sources, or means of livelihoods)
displacement - economic	loss of assets or access to assets that leads to loss of income sources or means of livelihood.
displacement - physical	relocation or loss of shelter.
ecosystem services	Benefits people derive from ecosystems, including provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services.
engagement	Collaborative work with people and groups connected to a project, place, or shared interest to shape decisions and relationships.
environmental and social management system	the organizational structure, responsibilities, policies, procedures and resources essential for successfully implementing social and environmental management programs in a structured way on an ongoing basis.
environmental and social assessment	A process for identifying, avoiding, minimizing, or mitigating a project’s environmental and social risks and impacts.
environmental and social audit	An assessment of an existing project’s environmental and social concerns and the measures needed to address them.
environmental and social management plan	Measures and implementation arrangements for eliminating, offsetting, or reducing adverse environmental and social impacts.
environmental and social management framework	an instrument that sets out the principles, rules, guidelines and procedures to assess the environmental and social impacts.
external experts	experts not involved in day-to-day project implementation or supervision.
forced eviction	removal of people and their belongings from structures against their will and without any legal or other protection.
FPIC	Free, prior and informed consent: a principle concerning Indigenous Peoples’ participation and consent in decisions affecting them.
good faith negotiations	a documented process of negotiation and outcomes that generally involves: willingness to engage; provision of relevant information; exploration of issues of importance; mutually-acceptable procedures for negotiation; willingness to change from one's initial position; and sufficient time for decision making.
good international industry practice	The skill, diligence, prudence, and foresight reasonably expected of experienced professionals undertaking comparable activities.
grievance	a concern or complaint raised by an individual or a group within communities affected by company operations
habitat	A terrestrial, freshwater, or marine area, or airway, supporting living organisms and their interactions with the environment.
highly complex and sensitive projects	highly risky or contentious projects—especially those involving serious and multidimensional and generally interrelated potential social and/or environmental impacts.
historical pollution	Pollution from past activities for which responsibility for remediation has not been assigned.
host communities	any community receiving displaced persons.
indirect impact	A reasonably foreseeable impact caused by a project that occurs later in time or farther away.
induced impact	An indirect impact arising from activities or developments encouraged by a project, beyond its physical footprint.
informed consultation and participation	the process of involving communities in development planning which take account of their linguistic and cultural characteristics and which make use of customary institutions and organizations.
international financial institutions	financial institutions that have been established (or chartered) by more than one country
international law	The term international law commonly refers to a body of rules, norms, and standards that govern the conduct of independent nations in their relationships with one another.
involuntary resettlement	physical and/or economic displacement resulting from project-related land acquisition where affected individuals or communities do not have the right to contest their loss of land use and access
key informant interview	An in-depth qualitative interview with a person who has particular knowledge of a community or issue.
land acquisition	land purchase or lease
land tenure	Rules governing access to, use of, control over, and transfer of land, with associated rights and responsibilities.
land transactions - voluntary	market transactions in which the seller is not obliged to sell and the buyer cannot resort to expropriation or other compulsory procedures if negotiations fail.
legally protected areas	areas legally designated for the protection or conservation of biodiversity
natural habitat - critical	Natural habitats of particular conservation significance, including protected areas and sites vital to rare, vulnerable, or endangered species.
natural habitat	land and water areas where the biological communities are formed largely by native plant and animal species, and where human activity has not essentially modified the area’s primary ecological functions.
non-governmental organization	legally-constituted entities that operate independently from government.
participation	a process through which stakeholders influence and share control over development initiatives and related decisions and resources.
project area of influence	The area affected by a project and its associated facilities, activities, and induced developments.
project finance	Financing in which repayment and security depend primarily on a project’s revenues.
project	A defined set of activities, facilities, and implementation arrangements undertaken to achieve a development or investment objective.
relocation assistance	Support for people physically displaced by a project, such as transport, shelter, services, or moving allowances.
replacement cost	market value of assets plus transaction costs
resettlement	the transportation of a people to a new area for settlement
retrenchment	the elimination of a significant number of employee positions or the dismissal or layoff of a significant number of employees by an employer
risk assessment	an instrument for estimating the probability of harm.
sacred sites	Places with spiritual, cultural, or religious significance to the communities that value them.
safeguard policy	policies intended to prevent and mitigate undue harm to people and their environment in the development process
social analysis	the practice of analyzing a situation or social issue, problem or trend through objective, systematic exploration—often with the aim of prompting change
social development	transformative processes of social change, usually intended to benefit human well-being
social development practitioner	a category of professionals (primarily comprised of social scientists) working (i.e., practising) in the field of international social development
social indicator	a value measured when conducting systematic evaluation or when defining performance targets and auditing criteria
social policy	1) regulatory measures (guidelines, principles, legislation and activities) intended to ensure or effect the well-being of a society and its constituent members; 2) an interdisciplinary field of study and (applied) practice that is concerned with societies' responses to social need
social protection	Policies and programs to reduce poverty and vulnerability by improving labor markets, reducing exposure to risks, and supporting people facing hazards or income loss.
stakeholder analysis	a technique to identify and assess the importance and interests of key people, groups, or institutions usually in relation to specific policies, programmes or communities
stakeholders	all individuals and/or groups who can reasonably be expected to be affected by, or can affect project operations
strategic environmental and social assessment	Assessment that integrates environmental and social considerations into policies, plans, and programs.
survey	a sampling, or partial collection, of facts, figures, or opinions
sustainable development	Development that meets present needs while protecting future generations’ ability to meet their own needs.
temporality	the state of existing within or having some relationship with time
trend lines	changes in significant indicators such as land ownership, incomes etc.
triangulation	the technique of integrating multiple lines of investigation and analysis of a topic of inquiry to ensure the integrity of data sources, to enhance the insights of analytical inquiry, as well as to enhance confidence in the ensuing findings
venn diagram	A visual representation of relationships among institutions, groups, or interests using overlapping or connected circles.

Additional terms

Entries retained from the earlier terminology index.

Term	Definition in brief
affected communities	communities that are subject to risks or impacts from project operations
community history	detailed account of the community’s past, detailing how things have changed, with a particular focus on relationships with external actors and the trends these relations have followed, as well as internal dynamics within the community
development	The process of growing or becoming more advanced or complex over time.
development paradigm	Actions, activities, and programs based on theories and beliefs about what constitutes development.
meta-phenomenon	A high-level categorization and grouping of facts, acts, ideas, or expressions as phenomena.
performance standards	policy guidelines for how to identify, avoid, mitigate, and manage environmental and social risks and impacts
replacement cost of public structures	the cost of purchasing or building a new structure, with an area and quality similar to or better than those of the affected structure, or of repairing a partially affected structure, including labor and contractors’ fees and transaction costs such as registration and transfer taxes
replacement cost of urban land	the market value of land of equivalent area and use, with similar or improved infrastructure and services preferably located in the vicinity of the affected land, plus transaction costs such as registration and transfer taxes

In policy, terminology is important. Comparative analysis of social policy is a particularly challenging topic for maintaining terminological clarity and consistency. Over the years, I have worked to develop my own definitions for terms used in social policy (a defining feature of the applied-anthro website) to ensure clarity and continuity in my writing. This lexicon is influenced by the IFI definitions, but it is adapted to accomodate discussion of broad phenomenological concerns.

Consider the following:

Most IFIs compile some form of operations manual comprised of policies for effecting the mandates of their institutional charters. In addition to board-approved policies and regulations, some IFI operations manuals also include notes of guidance for bank staff and clients that elaborate on the intended meaning of policy provisions to facilitate better implementation.

For example, while the Asian Development Bank's operations manual refers only to policies (which the ADB terms operational procedures, or OPs), the operations manual of the World Bank contains operational policies (OPs), bank procedures (BPs), directives, as well as interim instructions to staff (referred to OpMemos).

It can be hard to distinguish 'policy' from 'guidance', and still more difficult to discern what is "required" as opposed to that which is simply "recommended" (a question that my clients often pose when considering my recommendations for policy implementation).

It can also be challenging to identify the range of social policy that may be applicable to a given project or development initiative.

In recent years, safeguards policies have been receiving considerable media attention as IFIs continue to invest time and resources in updating their safeguard policy frameworks. Yet safeguards are but one aspect of social policy. Other aspects include social development policy (including initiatives to mainstream gender-sensitive development; initiatives to ensure the participation and empowerment of people and communities affected by development processes), social protection policy (including social assistance and welfare service programs including child protection and micro- and area based schemes to address poverty, and vulnerability; social insurance programs to cushion risks associated with unemployment, ill-health, disability, work-related injury and old age; and labour market policies and programs designed to generate employment, improve working conditions), human rights law, etc. Unfortunately, IFI institutional treatments of social issues (such as web and print publications touting institutional contributions to social development) seldom help to situate different institutional initiatives and activities within their greater policy contexts.

Adding an additional layer of complexity to any discussion of 'social policy' among international financial institutions (IFIs) are those policies that have an apparent 'social' orientation, but which are operational policies that come to bear only on internal bank operations.