Evaluating social performance in the context of an 'audit culture': A pilot social review of a cold mine in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

The growth of sustainable development frameworks that emphasize the social dimension has created a need for new approaches to evaluate social performance. The paper describes the design and pilot of a social review conducted at the Lihir Gold Mine in Papua New Guinea. The aim was to investigate more integrated measures - understood as combining qualitative and quantitative measures, and bridging international and local community standards - of social performance. The paper discusses the demands of time and resources placed on a range of stakeholders as part of a review. It then identifies impediments to developing integrated approaches, and analyses these with reference to Power's (1999, 200..