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Corporate Social Responsibility in Global Value Chains: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going?

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Abstract

We outline the drivers, main features, and conceptual underpinnings of the compliance paradigm. We then use a similar structure to investigate the drivers, main features, and conceptual underpinnings of the cooperative paradigm for working with CSR in global value chains. We argue that the measures proposed in the new cooperation paradigm are unlikely to alter power relationships in global value chains and bring about sustained improvements in workers’ conditions in developing country export industries. After that, we provide a critical appraisal of the potential and limits of the cooperative paradigm, we summarize our findings, and we outline avenues for research: purchasing practices and labor standard noncompliance, CSR capacity building among local suppliers, and improved CSR monitoring by local resources in the developing world.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Jennifer Bair, Alexandra Hughes, and Kanchana Ruwanpura, as well as the members of the CBS sustainable sourcing alumni group, for commenting on a previous version of this article. Alex Michalos served as editor for this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Corporate Social Responsibility, Copenhagen Business School, Porcelænshaven 18A, 2000, Frederiksberg, Denmark

    Peter Lund-Thomsen

  2. Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Aberconway Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff, CF10 3EU, UK

    Adam Lindgreen

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  1. Peter Lund-Thomsen
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  2. Adam Lindgreen
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Correspondence to Adam Lindgreen.

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Lund-Thomsen, P., Lindgreen, A. Corporate Social Responsibility in Global Value Chains: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going?. J Bus Ethics 123, 11–22 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1796-x

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