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In person icon Two Faces of Corporate Citizenship: Lobbying and Social Responsibility

Interest Groups
Public Policy
Regulation
Representation
Business
P401
Patrick Bernhagen
Universität Stuttgart
Alvise Favotto
University of Glasgow
Kelly Kollman
University of Glasgow

In person icon Building: Gilbert Scott, Floor: 3, Room: 356

Saturday 11:00 - 12:40 BST (06/09/2014)

Abstract

Lobbying by business interests is of major public and academic concern. At the same time, firms are increasingly engaging in various activities related to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and ‘citizenship’. While these two modes of non‐market activity are fundamentally political in nature, business actors as well as researchers are frequently uncertain about how they (should) relate to each other: How do firms reconcile more overtly self‐interested activities such as lobbying with expectations of corporate social responsibility and citizenship? The scant research that exists to date that seeks to shed light on both major types of non‐market strategy suggests that firms’ CSR positions are an economic complement to their political activities rather than a substitute. However, there seem to be inconsistencies between corporate political action (CPA) and CSR strategies employed by the same firms on the same issues, as has been demonstrated, for the tobacco industry. Thus, within single firms we can distinguish between alignment, misalignment, and non‐alignment of CPA and CSR strategies. This may be the result of deliberate decisions or it may be due to organizational legacies within firms. Whatever the reasons, the way CSR and CPA are combined may be consequential for the reputation and political success of firms as well as for the effectiveness of CSR programmes promoted by governments, NGOs and international organizations. The panel seeks to shed light on the following questions: To what extent and in what ways do firms lobby on issues covered in their CSR policies? Is firm behaviour consistent across these two activities? Can they be explained by a common behavioural logic? The individual papers investigate these questions from a number of different angles and disciplinary perspectives, including business and management, international relations, political science, organization studies and sociology.

Title Details
Lobbying and the Responsible Firm: From Critical Review Towards a Constructive Research Agenda View Paper Details
Corporations as Political Animals: Citizenship Traditions, CSR and Political Activity View Paper Details
How Do Corporations Balance Lobbying with Social Responsibility? View Paper Details
Sustainable Responsible Lobbying View Paper Details