Social Assessment: Theory, Process and Techniques, 3rd Edition. C. Nicholas Taylor, C. Hobson Bryan, and Colin G. Goodrich. 2004. Social Ecology Press, Middleton, WI. 194 pp. $16.95 paperback.

The authors of Social Assessment: Theory, Process and Techniques have done a remarkable job with a very complicated topic, crafting a fine book with potential for use as a text in an academic setting or as a guidebook in an applied setting. With but a few exceptions, the text is well organized. Beginning with the first chapter, the authors carefully define the topic and present it in a contemporary context where social assessment is most commonly used as a means to assess the impacts or effects a proposed project may have on people, community, and culture. As the authors point out, these assessments are often part of a formal Environmental Impact Assessment or are undertaken to fulfill a requirement similar to those common to the United States' National Environmental Policy Act. The first chapter moves quickly from a basic definition into a critical appraisal of the process and its use as a tool for understanding the impact of change on people, community, and society. This chapter has immediate appeal for the academic and the practitioner alike.