Visible hands - Jette Steen Knudsen

A growing number of states are regulating the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of domestic multinational corporations relating to overseas subsidiaries and suppliers. In this book, Jette Steen Knudsen and Jeremy Moon offer a new framework for analysing government-CSR relations: direct and indirect policies for CSR. Arguing that existing research on CSR regulation fails to address the growing role of the state in shaping the international practices of multinational corporations, the authors provide insight into the CSR issues that are addressed by government policies. Drawing on case studies, they analyse three key examples of CSR: non-financial reporting, ethical trade and tax transparency in extractive industries. In doing so, they propose a new research agenda of government and CSR that is relevant to scholars and graduate students in CSR, sustainability, political economy and economic sociology, as well as policymakers and consultants in international development and trade.

Jette Steen Knudsen is Professor of Policy and International Business at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Massachusetts. She previously worked as a Professor of Political Science at Copenhagen University and before that at Copenhagen Business School, and she headed a government think-tank, the Copenhagen Centre for CSR. She has published in journals such as Comparative Political Studies, Journal of Business Ethics, Policy and Politics and Regulation and Governance.

'You think government is irrelevant for corporate social responsibility? Think again! Based on penetrating case studies, Knudsen and Moon carefully unpick the ways in which national governments facilitate and shape corporate social responsibility to achieve their policy goals at home and abroad. In so doing, they shed new light on general debates about the interaction of public and private authority in global governance and the role of the state in a globalized world. Excellent book!' Philipp Genschel, European University Institute, Florence

'It has now been established that CSR, generally defined as companies' voluntary social and environmental initiatives that go beyond legal requirements is a core part of any company's competitive strategy. This book written by two political scientists examines a critical yet neglected piece of this complex puzzle, the role of governments in CSR. In particular, the authors effectively argue and show fascinating evidence that governments structure the opportunities for CSR and act as agents to encourage and exploit CSR for public policy purposes such as by directing public policies to support international CSR organizations. This book is relevant to anyone interested in stakeholder management, CSR, governance and sustainability.' Ruth V. Aguilera, Northeastern University, Massachusetts