Integrating Corporate Social Responsibility Policy in the European Union

Integrating Corporate Social Responsibility Policy in the European Union Public Deposited

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Creator

Thompson Holmgren, Caitlin Alexandra
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Political Science

Abstract

This paper addresses the integration of corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy in the European Union (EU). Although many EU member states have national CSR policies, the EU has been developing a progressive and comprehensive CSR framework. This paper examines what drives CSR activity at the EU level. I define corporate social responsibility as the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on societies (European Commission, 2011) and examine why a business would choose to engage a CSR policy, and why and how governments choose to support corporate social responsibility as public policy. I find there are multiple benefits to the European Union, including business contributions to sustainable development and public goods, and external benefits of increased normative power. By investigating potential benefits the EU stands to accrue through CSR, we are better informed as to its motivations. We therefore are able to analyze the theoretical explanations that rationalize European CSR outcomes.

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