Social investments at a glance: reviewing Russian perspectives

Abstract

The aim of the research is to analyze the modern trends and today’s development stage of social investments and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Russia. The article touches a vital topic of contemporary relations of the triada “state-business-society” in Russian public discourse. Considering the system approaches and development methodology of business and government relations, the authors try to summarize the accumulated experience in CSR and social investments field. It is worth noting that Russian scientists successfully carried out the subject of the research and the conceptual apparatus, defined and systematized public expectations, analyzed and summed up real experience of socially responsible Russian and foreign companies. The article shows an interesting phenomenon that in modern scientific community is forming and becomes stable a new institutional paradigm when CSR in the narrow sense goes beyond charity and philanthropy, and today it is expressed in a broad sense - as corporate citizenship, including some political dimensions. Besides, the article highlights indicative results on the authors’ applied research “Experience analysis of social partnerships between business and government, social investments and corporate social responsibility” hold in Krasnodar and Rostov-on-Don, Russia, in 2016-2017.