1.4 Definition of Terms
7
residing within a 15-kilometre radius of O&G activities). Each O&G social investment expert who participated in this research worked with a different measure and
definition of direct and indirect areas of influence. This means that when I talk about
community, host community and the local community, I refer to a social group of
any size, whose members often have a common cultural and historical heritage, and
who are located within an area of influence which varies in size.
Social Investment Experts
In this research, I refer to social investment personnel/practitioners as experts in
social investment. In doing so, I acknowledge their rich insights into their roles.
Whether in the office or the field, social investment personnel have theoretical and
practical knowledge of social investment in the O&G sector, thus, I refer to both
groups as experts in social investment.
A typical role of a social investment expert varies from company to company;
however, it overlaps in designing and/or implementing social investment within host
communities. Social investment experts may also be involved with their company’s
operational procedures for social responsibility, such as the conduct of social impact
assessment, social risk management and monitoring, social safeguard action planning, communities’ resettlement, livelihood restoration of traditional communities
(in the case of resettlement), public consultation, operation disclosure and stakeholder
engagement planning, among other responsibilities.
1.5 Outline of the Research
The book is organised as follows. Chapter 2 situates social investment in the broader
O&G sector context. This chapter introduces the O&G industry and its main activities
and project cycles and illustrates the impacts the industry has had in contemporary
society, which requires social investments as a mechanism of compensation and/or
mitigation. The chapter also introduces the World Bank Group and its relationship
with the O&G industry and social investment, respectively, so as to contextualise the
guideline documents participants chose to guide their social investment work.
Chapter 3 provides an in-depth overview of the pertinent literature on social
investment in the O&G sector. Painting a broad picture of social investment in the
O&G sector across different countries, this chapter describes a range of contexts
in which O&G social investment programmes fail or succeed in benefiting host
societies.
Chapter 4 is a key chapter as it defines the theoretical approach that informed the
research. Specifically, this chapter outlines the critical theoretical ideas that informed
my data collection and analysis, including the concepts of power, discourse, language,
subjectivity, agency and power.
Chapter 5 presents my methodological approach to investigating how experts
make sense of social investment in the O&G sector. This chapter outlines the research
design and methods and discusses the main ethical considerations encountered in the
7
residing within a 15-kilometre radius of O&G activities). Each O&G social investment expert who participated in this research worked with a different measure and
definition of direct and indirect areas of influence. This means that when I talk about
community, host community and the local community, I refer to a social group of
any size, whose members often have a common cultural and historical heritage, and
who are located within an area of influence which varies in size.
Social Investment Experts
In this research, I refer to social investment personnel/practitioners as experts in
social investment. In doing so, I acknowledge their rich insights into their roles.
Whether in the office or the field, social investment personnel have theoretical and
practical knowledge of social investment in the O&G sector, thus, I refer to both
groups as experts in social investment.
A typical role of a social investment expert varies from company to company;
however, it overlaps in designing and/or implementing social investment within host
communities. Social investment experts may also be involved with their company’s
operational procedures for social responsibility, such as the conduct of social impact
assessment, social risk management and monitoring, social safeguard action planning, communities’ resettlement, livelihood restoration of traditional communities
(in the case of resettlement), public consultation, operation disclosure and stakeholder
engagement planning, among other responsibilities.
1.5 Outline of the Research
The book is organised as follows. Chapter 2 situates social investment in the broader
O&G sector context. This chapter introduces the O&G industry and its main activities
and project cycles and illustrates the impacts the industry has had in contemporary
society, which requires social investments as a mechanism of compensation and/or
mitigation. The chapter also introduces the World Bank Group and its relationship
with the O&G industry and social investment, respectively, so as to contextualise the
guideline documents participants chose to guide their social investment work.
Chapter 3 provides an in-depth overview of the pertinent literature on social
investment in the O&G sector. Painting a broad picture of social investment in the
O&G sector across different countries, this chapter describes a range of contexts
in which O&G social investment programmes fail or succeed in benefiting host
societies.
Chapter 4 is a key chapter as it defines the theoretical approach that informed the
research. Specifically, this chapter outlines the critical theoretical ideas that informed
my data collection and analysis, including the concepts of power, discourse, language,
subjectivity, agency and power.
Chapter 5 presents my methodological approach to investigating how experts
make sense of social investment in the O&G sector. This chapter outlines the research
design and methods and discusses the main ethical considerations encountered in the