IMPACT ASSESSMENT RESEARCH: ACHIEVEMENTS, GAPS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS Introduction to the March 2015 Special Issue of the Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management

Welcome to this special JEAPM issue on impact assessment (IA) research, which — besides this introductory paper — includes 16 short papers contributed by a wide range of leading IA researchers from around the world. These papers provide for an overview of achievements, gaps and future directions for IA research. The collection of papers is the outcome of a targeted call to researchers representing a wide range of IA areas and regions. This has resulted in what we believe is an impressive compilation of contributions on environmental impact assessment (EIA), strategic environmental assessment (SEA), health impact assessment (HIA) and social impact assessment (SIA) as well as theoretical, applied and normative aspects of IA, with a particular focus on sustainable development from European, North and South American, Asian, African and Australian authors.