CSR in Developing Countries: Looking Backward, Going Forward

Professor MSO Peter Lund-Thomsen Inaugural Lecture:
“CSR in Developing Countries: Looking Backward, Going Forward”

Abstract:
This lecture provides an overview of the research field of CSR in developing countries, how the field has developed since the early parts of the New Millennium, and why it matters from academic and policy-oriented perspectives. We trace the development of the field back to early discussions on the business case for CSR in developing countries, moving onto debates on critical perspectives, and the more recent turn towards institutional theory in this field, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of these different theoretical perspectives. The lecture then introduces recent empirical evidence relating to CSR in industrial clusters and SMEs in developing countries. We will also highlight current debates on CSR in global value chains. Finally, the lecture will analyze the future prospects for research and practice on CSR in the Global South, specifically within the wider international context of how companies and multi-stakeholder initiatives seek to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

About Professor MSO Peter Lund-Thomsen: Peter’s research focuses on the linkage between global value chains, industrial upgrading and corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER) in developing countries. He theorises and empirically investigates how CSER policies of internationally branded companies are implemented in global supply chains, and how they affect supplier competitiveness, work conditions and the environment in the South.   To date, he has had 26 articles accepted in internationally peer-reviewed journals, and Peter is also the Associate Editor of “Business Ethics: A European Review”. He recently co-edited three special issues of international journals. The first deals with micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and CSER in developing economies and will be published by Business and Society (with Jamali

and Jeppesen). He has also co-edited a special issue of Competition and Change (with P. Wad) that deals with global value chains, local economic organisation and the CESR in BRICS countries (vol. 18, no. 4, 2014). Finally, Peter has co-edited a special issue of the Journal of Business Ethics on the relationship between industry clusters and CSER in developing countries (with Lindgreen and Vanhamme).

Programme: