ABSTRACT
All the analytical and methodological problems in SIA are often dwarfed by a problem little addressed in the SIA literature and seldom addressed elsewhere either. This is the problem of communicating the results of social and environmental analysis in an understandable and useful manner to decision makers, bureaucrats, and the interested public. Far too often research meeting high methodological standards has been dismissed, ignored, or misinterpreted because it is jargon-laden, indigestable, or just overly long winded and cautious in approach and presentation. In the case of the Alaskan Slope pipeline, for example, the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) consisted of a stack of reports about three times the height of the average decision maker. It is only recently that agencies which commission or produce SIAs and EIAs are beginning to understand that potential users may lack the requisite item, confidence, or understanding to make proper use of such reports. This problem of communication, information transfer, or knowledge utilization has only very recently been the focus of vigorous and systematic inquiry.
