Pluralism in Political Corporate Social Responsibility

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Within corporate social responsibility (CSR), the exploration of the political role of firms (political CSR) has recently experienced a revival. We review three key periods of political CSR literature—classic, instrumental, and new political CSR—and use the Rawlsian conceptualization of division of moral labor within political systems to describe each period’s background political theories. The three main arguments of the paper are as follows. First, classic CSR literature was more pluralistic in terms of background political theories than many later texts. Second, instrumental CSR adopted classical liberalism and libertarian laissez-faire as its structural logic. Third, new political CSR, based on a strong globalist transition of responsibilities and tasks from governments to companies, lacks a conceptualization of division of moral labor that is needed to fully depart from a classical liberalist position. We end by providing a set of recommendations to develop pluralism in political CSR.

Contextualizing Corporate Political Responsibilities: Neoliberal CSR in Historical Perspective

“…As we argue here, in line with Mäkinen and Kourula (2012), the political responsibilities of business can take different forms-and those forms reflect in part underlying ideologies. Contemporary CSR is and remains deeply inscribed within a neoliberal frame.…”

“…In some of the most extreme variants of the paternalist experience, the firm became fused with the geographical community in which it was embedded. Brede Klaedefabrik north of Copenhagen, Denmark, the Stumm family in the Saar region, Germany, Philips in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Schneider in Le Creusot, France, the tire manufacturer, Michelin in the city of Clermont-Ferrand, France, and Gustaf Adolf Serlachius Company in Mänttä, Finland are all typical examples of how paternal employers across Europe took on social and political responsibilities towards the local community by creating sometimes entire factory towns (De Bry 1980;Gueslin 1993;Kalb 1997;Mäkinen and Kasanen 2014;Mäkinen and Kourula 2012;Nielsen 1994;Van Dülmen 1989).…”

“…Mäkinen and colleagues take what we see as an important step to distance themselves from the powerful assumptions associated with the ''null hypothesis '' (Mäki-nen and Kasanen 2014;Mäkinen and Kourula 2012). They argue that the separation between business and society, economy and politics, or public and private that we take for granted today may reflect a particular (and hence contextual) socio-political system.…”

“…colleagues (2012, 2014) highlight the fact that contemporary conceptions of political CSR are profoundly embedded within the modern liberal political system. The critique of the ''a-political role of the corporation'' (Palazzo and Scherer 2006, p. 72) or even the development of the notion of ''corporate citizenship'' (Matten and Crane 2005a) inscribe themselves within classical liberal political theory (Mäkinen and Kourula 2012). While questioning purely ''economic'' or ''instrumental'' CSR, political CSR scholars still paradoxically further the liberal assumption that once upon a time economic and political spheres were stable and separate and that political responsibilities were traditionally the prerogative of states and governments.…”

Conflict Minerals and Supply Chain Due Diligence: An Exploratory Study of Multi-tier Supply Chains

“…Political CSR has gained attention particularly due to the work of Matten and Crane (2005) as well as Scherer and Palazzo (2007; and the literature has been increasingly expanded since (e.g., Crane et al, 2008;Mäkinen and Kourula, 2012;Rotter et al, 2014;Whelan, 2012).…”