Linking Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Policy in Zambia

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR), with its emphasis on corporate self-regulation and voluntary initiatives, is often seen as an approach that is largely independent of the state and public policy. This chapter questions this claim by showing how the trajectory and substance of CSR in particular country contexts has been conditioned by social policy and development strategies. It does so by examining the evolution of CSR through different phases of development in Zambia. Thus, social investment by business as well as the social policy of different political administrations, spanning a period of almost 50 years, will be considered.