Local Experience of Global CSR in Cocoa Value Chain: Critical Perspective

Abstract

This paper explores the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives aimed at community development of Ivorian cocoa growing communities from the perspective of its intended beneficiaries. While the majority of studies on CSR in developing countries focuses on the global dimension of CSR and its role within global governance arrangements, we seek to bring new empirical insights by shifting the focus to the receiving end of CSR and bringing to the fore the contextualised lived experience of local marginalised actors intended to benefit from the CSR initiatives. Drawing on unique qualitative empirical data and building on critical perspective on CSR, we reveal different types of tensions emerging at multiple levels. We contribute to the critical CSR research by developing a conceptual process model, which theorises the relationship between different types of tensions and shows how unresponded tensions lead to the abandon and failure of the CSR initiative.