A fault analysis for health impact assessment: procurement, competence, expectations, and jurisdictions

Abstract

This paper describes and analyses failures in the health impact assessment process of five different major international projects owned by various multinational consortia. The objective is to improve the process. The paper examines how the consortia approached the issue of procurement of consultancy services, and the competence with which consultancy companies offering such services respond. It looks at issues of jurisdiction over management and content and the ethics and expectations of baseline studies. Finally, it offers solutions to some of the challenges described.