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Cited by 149Corporate Social Responsibility ReportingCorporate Social Responsibility and SustainabilityPolitical Influence and Corporate Strategies

Theory Assessment and Agenda Setting in Political CSR: A Critical Theory Perspective

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Scherer, Andreas Georg·2018·International Journal of Management Reviews
DOI 10.1111/ijmr.12137
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Abstract

Frynas and Stephens (Political corporate social responsibility: reviewing theories and setting new agendas. International Journal of Management Reviews, 17, pp. 483–509, 2015) reviewed the literature on political corporate social responsibility (CSR). They described existing trends and suggested an agenda for future research. They attempted to develop ‘a more inclusive pluralist research agenda in political CSR, which can integrate different perspectives on political CSR in order to account for different phenomena, including global governance changes at macro level, instrumental concerns at organizational level or cognitive dimensions at individual level, in both descriptive and normative terms’. This was an ambitious endeavour, given the rapid growth of the literature and the extensive heterogeneity of the field. There is much to like in Frynas and Stephens’ paper, as it spans a broad range of perspectives and links together discrete research topics. In the present review, however, the author focuses on a number of critical aspects in their argument. Frynas and Stephens failed to define core concepts, to reveal their normative stance on CSR and their paradigmatic position, or to address the inherent conflict of values in political CSR. And they were too optimistic about the possibilities and benefits of ‘integration’. The author suspects that their approach, when adopted in practice, will impede rather than promote social welfare. This paper starts with a brief summary of the field and continues by emphasizing critical issues in Frynas and Stephens’ analysis. It concludes with an alternative agenda for research in political CSR.

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  • Most states are not rule-of-law democracies.

    “Furthermore, in proposing our framework to steer and support communitywide social and political action, we are aware that most states are not rule-of-law democracies, and therefore the emergence of appropriate legislation protecting citizens' rights is even less likely, and the struggle of organized citizens and social movements even more necessary and intense (Scherer, 2018).”

    From Organized Immaturity in a Post-Kantian Perspective: Toward a critical theory of surveillance capitalism (2023) · cites this paper as Scherer, 2018

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Authors
Scherer, A. G.
Affiliations
University of Zurich (CH)
Corresponding author
Scherer, Andreas Georg
ORCID
Scherer, Andreas Georg
Venue
International Journal of Management Reviews
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2017-01-30
Volume
20
Issue
2
Pages
387-410
ISSN
  • 1460-8545 (ISSN-L)
  • 1468-2370
DOI
10.1111/ijmr.12137
OpenAlex
W2581048551
Cited by
149
References
313
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 3 · 2014: 1
FWCI
28.25
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • International Journal of Management Reviews (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)
Funders
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (100010_165699/1)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Political Influence and Corporate Strategies
Keywords
political corporate social responsibility, critical theory, research agenda, value conflicts, global governance, cognitive dimension, social welfare

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