Global CSR Frameworks

The last few decades have seen a dramatic growth of discourse and activities on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Consequently, many different types of CSR frameworks have been proposed: industry-level self-regulation codes, national-level monitoring mechanisms, internationally-binding documents, and global voluntary initiatives. While some industry- and national-level frameworks have achieved partial success and can be useful as part of broader frameworks, they still fall short of comprehensively addressing the global challenges of regulating corporate excesses. Internationally-binding documents, on the other hand, have never materialized due to serious objections from the private sector. Thus, global voluntary initiatives that are based upon business voluntarism, government cooperation, and civil society monitoring efforts seem to be the most promising instrument for reconciling market capitalism and social values in the current global economy.

The two-day conference will examine the workings of global CSR frameworks and how CSR might play out in major multinational corporations, many of which are based in the US or Japan. The conference gathers 23 participants, who will share their research on and experiences in different regions, countries, industries, and academic backgrounds. In addition to social scientists from various disciplines, we have invited several practitioners in order to encourage more dialogue between CSR experts from different backgrounds. Our hope is that the conference will spark productive debates and collaborations that will carry beyond the two days and flow into an edited volume.