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Corporate citizens and the UN Global Compact: explaining cross-national variations in turnout

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Patrick Bernhagen ,
Neil J. Mitchell  and
Marianne Thissen-Smits
Neil J. Mitchell
Affiliation:
School of Public Policy, University College London
Marianne Thissen-Smits
Affiliation:
Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Aberdeen
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Abstract

Business and public partnerships in socially responsible behavior have become a central pillar of global governance, but one that is unevenly developed in different countries. Despite the transnational character of business operations, national context is of theoretical as well as policy significance. To explain cross-country variation in corporate commitment to social responsibility we investigate the political conditions that encourage firms to participate in the United Nations Global Compact. Drawing on a theory of corporate social responsibility as motivated by self-interest and external pressure, we examine the influence of external actors and the locally specific mobilization of bias. Analyzing participation levels in 145 countries, we find that a democratic regime and Global Compact participation by countervailing groups are associated with higher levels of business participation in the program. Contrary to earlier studies relying on smaller numbers of countries, we find no evidence that a country's relationship with the UN or the domestic political strength of environmental interests account for cross-national variation in corporate engagement with the Global Compact.

Type
Research Article
Information
Business and Politics , Volume 15 , Issue 1 , April 2013 , pp. 63 - 85
Copyright
Copyright © V.K. Aggarwal 2013 and published under exclusive license to Cambridge University Press 

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