This paper argues that the challenges in Social Impact Measurement and Management (SIMM) are not primarily technical, but rooted in power dynamics, institutional incentives, and prevailing notions of accountability. An analysis of the SIMM ecosystem identifies three core problems: persistent power asymmetries, an overemphasis on proving impact rather than strengthening pathways to it, and the treatment of measurement as a compliance exercise rather than a learning practice. In response, the paper proposes three interconnected principles: redistributing power in measurement governance, designing for learning-oriented impact pathways, and institutionalising prospective, community-centred measurement to enable more meaningful, adaptive, and sustainable social impact.
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