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Governmentalities of CSR: Danish Government Policy as a Reflection of Political Difference

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  • Steen Vallentin

Abstract

This paper investigates the roles that Danish government has played in the development of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Denmark has emerged as a first mover among the Scandinavian countries when it comes to CSR. We argue that government has played a pivotal role in making this happen, and that this reflects strong traditions of regulation, corporatism and active state involvement. However, there is no unitary “Danish model of CSR” being promoted by government. Although Danish society is often associated with a model of consensus, our claim is that Danish government policy on CSR is characterized by a lack of common direction and that we need to approach it on such terms. In order to provide a critical account of ‘the Danish model’ we apply a governmentality perspective that allows us to stress political difference. We argue that Danish government policy consists of three distinct regimes of practice and show how they subject CSR to different modes of rationalization and action. We conclude that the problem with public policy being split into three is not different as such, but the failure of each regime to recognize the value of the others. As a result, government tends to add to the confusion and opaqueness of CSR. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

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  • Steen Vallentin, 2015. "Governmentalities of CSR: Danish Government Policy as a Reflection of Political Difference," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 127(1), pages 33-47, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:127:y:2015:i:1:p:33-47
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-013-1703-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. McGuinness, Paul B. & Vieito, João Paulo & Wang, Mingzhu, 2017. "The role of board gender and foreign ownership in the CSR performance of Chinese listed firms," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 75-99.
    5. Oda Hustad, 2023. "From global goal to local development policy: How partnerships as a policy idea changes through policy translation," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 41(2), March.
    6. Qingmin Yin & Nan Su & Chenhui Ding, 2024. "The Nonlinear Effects of Digital Finance on Corporate ESG Performance: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-27, September.
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    8. Uwafiokun Idemudia & Cynthia Kwakyewah, 2018. "Analysis of the Canadian national corporate social responsibility strategy: Insights and implications," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(5), pages 928-938, September.
    9. Zhang, Yue & Zhao, Zhao, 2022. "Environmental regulations and corporate social responsibility: Evidence from China's real-time air quality monitoring policy," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
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    11. Asan Vernyuy Wirba, 2024. "Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): The Role of Government in promoting CSR," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 7428-7454, June.
    12. Duff, Angus, 2017. "Corporate social responsibility as a legitimacy maintenance strategy in the professional accountancy firm," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(6), pages 513-531.
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