The Malta Sociological Association (MSA) has proposed that Malta's national budget for 2025 allocates funds as well as incentives for the mainstreaming of Social Impact Assessments (SIA) in Malta's public and private sectors.

The International Association for Impact Assessments describes such assessments as ones which "include the processes of analysing, monitoring and managing the intended and unintended social consequences, both positive and negative, of planned interventions (policies, programs, plans, projects) and any social change processes invoked by those interventions. Its primary purpose is to bring about a more sustainable and equitable biophysical and human environment."

Such assessments help identify the impact of a major development project, or of a major policy shift. They can be extremely useful tools to identify the impact on society as a whole. We have seen social impact assessments deployed in the past, tied to certain major projects for instance. But what about after that major project is built? Having studies which also take place after the project is complete could help identify any negative impacts it created, and provide for ideas for mitigating effects. What about the cumulative impact of several major projects within a certain area? Assessments should be carried out to identify the cumulative impact of development on areas with high rates of construction. Such assessments should not be one-off exercises, but be regularly updated. They could also, for instance, be carried out to see what the impact of transport strategies, or new planning policies, could have.

In 2023, Sociologist Michael Briguglio had told this newsroom that when Regional Councils were introduced, the law regulating them mentioned measuring social impacts, and, he said, this is an opportunity which can be used. "Some Regional Councils are employing such assessments." This is, of course, good news.

"To embed social responsibility within public sector operations, MSA is proposing the mainstreaming of SIAs across all government entities, including Ministries, regional, and local authorities. The 2025 budget should allocate adequate funding to ensure these bodies have the necessary resources to conduct comprehensive SIAs as part of their project planning and policy-making processes," the Sociologists Association said.

Aside from impact assessments, another form of study that is useful for helping form policy are carrying capacity studies. A Carrying Capacity Study for Tourism in the Maltese Islands that was commissioned by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and published in 2022 found that Malta needs to welcome some 4.7 million tourists per year if accommodation occupancy is to reach 80% throughout the whole year. That is, of course, completely unsustainable, and it helped show that a change is needed in the country's tourism strategy.

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) Coordinator Astrid Vella had in July told this newsroom that FAA had came out insisting on the need to raise the quality of life in Malta, which would be based on carrying capacity studies, to see what each area can support.

This could be useful to helping identify the infrastructural limits of areas for instance. There have long been calls for the publication of a visitor carrying capacity study by ERA about Comino for instance. Such studies would also be useful for areas like Sliema and St Julian's, which see massive influxes of people on a daily basis.

If we want to change Malta for the better, conducting such studies and assessments would be the first step.