The politics of corporate social responsibility in the mining industry in Burkina Faso

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the non-market strategy of a multinational corporation in an institutionally weak country, specifically focusing on its corporate social responsibility. Theoretically, the paper argues that the motives and outcomes of corporate social responsibility could facilitate corporate political activity, in the presence of weak institutions. Using interview data collected from a company operating in the gold mining sector in Burkina Faso, the paper provides interesting insights into “how” and “why” multinational corporations actually engage in corporate social responsibility in institutionally weak countries. The findings further assert that MNCs’ corporate social responsibility can be used in such contexts to facilitate the co-creation of institutional arrangements to mitigate operational risks.

KEYWORDS:

• corporate social responsibility
• corporate political activity
• institutions
• mining sector
• multinational corporations

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Rabake Nana is a Teaching Associate in Business and Management at the Business School of the University of Huddersfield. She is awaiting her viva at the University of Huddersfield. Her PhD focuses on CSR and International Business. She also has a Postgraduate Certificate in Research Methods and an MSc in International Business Management from the University of Huddersfield.

Eshani Beddewela is a Reader in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at the Huddersfield Business School, University of Huddersfield. She received her PhD in CSR and International Business from Bradford University School of Management on implementing CSR within multinational enterprises in Sri Lanka. Eshani is a past Commonwealth Scholar and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has published in journals such as the Journal of Business Ethics and Accounting Forum, and has contributed to edited collections.

ORCID

Rabake Kinba Hermelline M. Nana http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8582-5607

Eshani Beddewela http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1006-1811