Scand­inavi­an Sustain­ability & Cor­por­ate So­cial Respons­ibility

Course content

In this course, we consider the current state of sustainability and CSR in Scandinavia and explore factors that could be considered as having contributed to Scandinavia’s historically strong sustainability and CSR performances.

We will consider Scandinavian Sustainability in three different ways:

1. We will identify what is quintessentially “Scandinavian Sustainability”? In other words what are the behaviors that are found primarily here and not elsewhere?
2. Next, we will compare sustainability practices in Scandinavia with practices in other countries. How and why do they differ? How does this difference affect performance?
3. Finally, we will look at how international standards and global practices are implemented and interpreted through a Scandinavian lens.

Scandinavia is described by some commentators as a world leader in the areas of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability. Notably, these include deep-routed traditions of stakeholder engagement across Scandinavia, in line with the recent concept of “creating shared value”. Another distinct feature is the active role of government that has encouraged strong CSR and sustainability performances of Scandinavian companies. Finally, many of the sustainable governance and finance solutions underpinning Scandinavian societies operate as hybrid public-private constellations. We compare and evaluate Scandinavian and other approaches to sustainability and CSR. We also reflect upon the challenges for Scandinavia to maintain its standing as a world leader and discuss how and why governments in Scandinavia engage in shaping CSR in business organizations.