IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v10y2018i7p2400-d157137.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Institutional Voids and the Philanthropization of CSR Practices: Insights from Developing Economies

Author

Listed:
  • Frederick Ahen

    (Turku School of Economics, University of Turku, 20500 Turku, Finland)

  • Joseph Amankwah-Amoah

    (Kent Business School, University of Kent, Kent CT2 7FS, UK)

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and conceptions vary across sectors and nations. However, there is a general tendency among academics and practitioners to present CSR in Africa as activities characterized by philanthropy due to the existence of institutional voids. This review of the current literature demonstrates that weak institutions lead to weaker bargaining powers designed through the historical and geopolitical institutional frameworks of international business and global governance systems. Accordingly, multinational corporations (MNCs) take advantage of such weaknesses to define CSR on their own terms by replacing the ideal responsible and sustainable innovations with ad hoc philanthropy that diverts the attention from the negative consequences of neoliberal ‘structures of accumulation’. This is akin to aid that hardly contributes to structural changes, but rather leads to complacency, corruption, dependency, boutique projects, disguised exploitation, and the misuse of corporate political power to achieve corporate bottom lines. The implications of the results are vast, and they are generalizable to all weaker institutional settings. Thus, weaker institutions create the necessary regulatory, political, economic, and governance climate that perpetuates a pattern of abuses and ethical violations that are then masked with philanthropy. It is argued that the fundamental institutional and geopolitical contexts within which MNCs interact with nation states cannot be ignored in any comprehensive analysis that seeks to meaningfully shed light on the comparative differences of CSR practices. The neglect of the web of contextual, historical, and geopolitical issues in which CSR is entrenched and framed diverts attention from the origins of the socio-economic and environmental questions to philanthropy as a final solution, which has hitherto been perpetuated with undesirable outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Frederick Ahen & Joseph Amankwah-Amoah, 2018. "Institutional Voids and the Philanthropization of CSR Practices: Insights from Developing Economies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-27, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:7:p:2400-:d:157137
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/7/2400/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/7/2400/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bryan W Husted & David B Allen, 2006. "Corporate social responsibility in the multinational enterprise: strategic and institutional approaches," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(6), pages 838-849, November.
    2. Zahra, Shaker A. & Gedajlovic, Eric & Neubaum, Donald O. & Shulman, Joel M., 2009. "A typology of social entrepreneurs: Motives, search processes and ethical challenges," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 519-532, September.
    3. Glen Whelan & Jeremy Moon & Bettina Grant, 2013. "Corporations and Citizenship Arenas in the Age of Social Media," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(4), pages 777-790, December.
    4. Michael C. Jensen, 2010. "Value Maximization, Stakeholder Theory, and the Corporate Objective Function," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 22(1), pages 32-42, January.
    5. Gary Fooks & Anna Gilmore & Jeff Collin & Chris Holden & Kelley Lee, 2013. "The Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility: Techniques of Neutralization, Stakeholder Management and Political CSR," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 283-299, January.
    6. Hassan Bougrine, 2006. "Oil: Profits of the Chain Keepers," International Journal of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(2), pages 35-53.
    7. Gary Fooks & Anna Gilmore & Jeff Collin & Chris Holden & Kelley Lee, 2013. "Erratum to: The Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility: Techniques of Neutralization, Stakeholder Management and Political CSR," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 367-367, January.
    8. Gabriel Zucman, 2014. "Taxing across Borders: Tracking Personal Wealth and Corporate Profits," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(4), pages 121-148, Fall.
    9. Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph, 2016. "Global business and emerging economies: Towards a new perspective on the effects of e-waste," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 20-26.
    10. Dima Jamali & Ben Neville, 2011. "Convergence Versus Divergence of CSR in Developing Countries: An Embedded Multi-Layered Institutional Lens," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 102(4), pages 599-621, September.
    11. Frederick Ahen, 2018. "Dystopic Prospects of Global Health and Ecological Governance: Whither the Eco-Centric-Humanistic CSR of Firms?," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 105-126, July.
    12. Robert Strand & R. Freeman & Kai Hockerts, 2015. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in Scandinavia: An Overview," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 127(1), pages 1-15, March.
    13. Warren J Bilkey & Erik Nes, 1982. "Country-of-Origin Effects on Product Evaluations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 13(1), pages 89-100, March.
    14. M. Tina Dacin & Peter A. Dacin & Paul Tracey, 2011. "Social Entrepreneurship: A Critique and Future Directions," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(5), pages 1203-1213, October.
    15. Andreas Georg Scherer & Guido Palazzo, 2011. "The New Political Role of Business in a Globalized World: A Review of a New Perspective on CSR and its Implications for the Firm, Governance, and Democracy," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(4), pages 899-931, June.
    16. R. Edward Freeman & S. Ramakrishna Velamuri, 2006. "A New Approach to CSR: Company Stakeholder Responsibility," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Andrew Kakabadse & Mette Morsing (ed.), Corporate Social Responsibility, chapter 1, pages 9-23, Palgrave Macmillan.
    17. Klaus E Meyer, 2004. "Perspectives on multinational enterprises in emerging economies," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(4), pages 259-276, July.
    18. Klaus E. Meyer & Saul Estrin & Sumon Kumar Bhaumik & Mike W. Peng, 2009. "Institutions, resources, and entry strategies in emerging economies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 61-80, January.
    19. David Detomasi, 2008. "The Political Roots of Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 82(4), pages 807-819, November.
    20. Dani Rodrik, 2008. "Second-Best Institutions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(2), pages 100-104, May.
    21. Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph & Debrah, Yaw & Nuertey, Dorcas, 2018. "Institutional Legitimacy, Cross-Border Trade and Institutional Voids: Insights from the Cocoa Industry in Ghana," MPRA Paper 84393, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    22. Subhabrata Bobby Banerjee, 2007. "Corporate Social Responsibility," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 12532.
    23. Andrew Kakabadse & Mette Morsing, 2006. "Introduction: Corporate Social Responsibility — Reconciling Aspiration with Application," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Andrew Kakabadse & Mette Morsing (ed.), Corporate Social Responsibility, pages 1-6, Palgrave Macmillan.
    24. Scherer, Andreas Georg & Palazzo, Guido & Baumann, Dorothée, 2006. "Global Rules and Private Actors: Toward a New Role of the Transnational Corporation in Global Governance," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 16(4), pages 505-532, October.
    25. Meng Zhao & Justin Tan & Seung Park, 2014. "From Voids to Sophistication: Institutional Environment and MNC CSR Crisis in Emerging Markets," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(4), pages 655-674, July.
    26. Geert Hofstede & Cheryl A Van Deusen & Carolyn B Mueller & Thomas A Charles, 2002. "What Goals Do Business Leaders Pursue? A Study in Fifteen Countries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 33(4), pages 785-803, December.
    27. Campbell, Bonnie, 2012. "Corporate Social Responsibility and development in Africa: Redefining the roles and responsibilities of public and private actors in the mining sector," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 138-143.
    28. Mair, Johanna & Marti, Ignasi, 2009. "Entrepreneurship in and around institutional voids: A case study from Bangladesh," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 419-435, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lovemore Chikazhe & Blessing Chigunha & Martin Dandira & Tendai Silvaziso Mandere & King Christopher Muchenje, 2020. "Corporate Social Responsibility as a Mediator of the Effect of Brand Awareness and Corporate Reputation on Customer Loyalty," Business Management and Strategy, Macrothink Institute, vol. 11(1), pages 243-261, June.
    2. Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph & Hinson, Robert E., 2019. "Contextual influences on new technology ventures: A study of domestic firms in Ghana," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 289-296.
    3. Adomako, Samuel & Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph & Chu, Irene, 2020. "Entrepreneurs’ passion, home country’s institutional voids and small firm internationalization," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    4. Christopher Durugbo & Joseph Amankwah‐Amoah, 2019. "Global sustainability under uncertainty: How do multinationals craft regulatory policies?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1500-1516, November.
    5. Donbesuur, Francis & Zahoor, Nadia & Al-Tabbaa, Omar & Adomako, Samuel & Tarba, Shlomo Y., 2023. "On the performance of platform-based international new ventures: The roles of non-market strategies and managerial competencies," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(2).
    6. Lei Xu & Xiaoning Guo & Yan Liu & Xiaochen Sun & Jie Ji, 2022. "How Does Corporate Charitable Giving Affect Enterprise Innovation? A Literature Review and Research Directions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-21, November.
    7. Laura Maria Ferri & Matteo Pedrini & Marco Minciullo, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility and stakeholder dialogue under institutional voids: decoupling the role of corporate motives, ethics, and resources," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 26(1), pages 159-188, March.
    8. Prince Amoah & Gabriel Eweje, 2023. "Organisational drivers and sustainability implementation in the mining industry: A holistic theoretical framework," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(8), pages 5602-5614, December.
    9. Ifedapo Adeleye & John Luiz & Judy Muthuri & Kenneth Amaeshi, 2020. "Business Ethics in Africa: The Role of Institutional Context, Social Relevance, and Development Challenges," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 161(4), pages 717-729, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Frederick Ahen, 2019. "Making Resource Democracy Radically Meaningful for Stakeowners: Our World, Our Rules?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-23, September.
    2. Richter, Ulf Henning & Shirodkar, Vikrant & Shete, Namita, 2021. "Firm-level indicators of instrumental and political CSR processes – A multiple case study," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 279-290.
    3. Vikrant Shirodkar & Eshani Beddewela & Ulf Henning Richter, 2018. "Firm-Level Determinants of Political CSR in Emerging Economies: Evidence from India," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(3), pages 673-688, March.
    4. Haseeb Ahmed Shabbir & Hala Maalouf & Michele Griessmair & Nazan Colmekcioglu & Pervaiz Akhtar, 2019. "Exploring Perceptions of Advertising Ethics: An Informant-Derived Approach," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(3), pages 727-744, October.
    5. Zhao, Eric Yanfei & Lounsbury, Michael, 2016. "An institutional logics approach to social entrepreneurship: Market logic, religious diversity, and resource acquisition by microfinance organizations," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 643-662.
    6. Pisani, Niccolò & Kourula, Arno & Kolk, Ans & Meijer, Renske, 2017. "How global is international CSR research? Insights and recommendations from a systematic review," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 591-614.
    7. Jukka Mäkinen & Eero Kasanen, 2016. "Boundaries Between Business and Politics: A Study on the Division of Moral Labor," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(1), pages 103-116, March.
    8. Pasi Heikkurinen & Jukka Mäkinen, 2018. "Synthesising Corporate Responsibility on Organisational and Societal Levels of Analysis: An Integrative Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(3), pages 589-607, May.
    9. Liedong, Tahiru Azaaviele & Peprah, Augustine Awuah & Amartey, Abednego Okoe & Rajwani, Tazeeb, 2020. "Institutional voids and firms' resource commitment in emerging markets: A review and future research agenda," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(3).
    10. Shirodkar, Vikrant & Liedong, Tahiru Azaaviele & Rajwani, Tazeeb & Lawton, Thomas C., 2024. "MNE nonmarket strategy in a changing world: Complexities, varieties, and a values-based approach," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(2).
    11. Kenneth Amaeshi & Emmanuel Adegbite & Tazeeb Rajwani, 2016. "Corporate Social Responsibility in Challenging and Non-enabling Institutional Contexts: Do Institutional Voids matter?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(1), pages 135-153, March.
    12. Andrew Johnston & Kenneth Amaeshi & Emmanuel Adegbite & Onyeka Osuji, 2021. "Corporate Social Responsibility as Obligated Internalisation of Social Costs," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 170(1), pages 39-52, April.
    13. Mohammad Sohail Yunis & Dima Jamali & Hina Hashim, 2018. "Corporate Social Responsibility of Foreign Multinationals in a Developing Country Context: Insights from Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-20, September.
    14. Eshani Beddewela & Jenny Fairbrass, 2016. "Seeking Legitimacy Through CSR: Institutional Pressures and Corporate Responses of Multinationals in Sri Lanka," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(3), pages 503-522, July.
    15. Judith Schrempf-Stirling, 2018. "State Power: Rethinking the Role of the State in Political Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(1), pages 1-14, June.
    16. Yadong Luo & Huan Zhang & Juan Bu, 2019. "Developed country MNEs investing in developing economies: Progress and prospect," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 50(4), pages 633-667, June.
    17. Simon Hartmann & Thomas Lindner & Jakob Müllner & Jonas Puck, 2022. "Beyond the nation-state: Anchoring supranational institutions in international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(6), pages 1282-1306, August.
    18. Fabio La Rosa & Sergio Paternostro & Francesca Bernini, 2023. "Corporate and regional governance antecedents of the Legality Rating of private Italian companies," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 27(1), pages 297-329, March.
    19. Francesco Perrini & Angeloantonio Russo & Antonio Tencati & Clodia Vurro, 2011. "Deconstructing the Relationship Between Corporate Social and Financial Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 102(1), pages 59-76, March.
    20. Seong-jin Choi & Jong Kwon Ko & Sukyoon Jung, 2018. "A Conglomerate’s Effort for Co-Prospering with Its Subcontractors and Firm Value: Evidence from Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-15, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:7:p:2400-:d:157137. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.