The UN Global Compact and the Enlightenment tradition: a rural electrification project under the aegis of the UN Global Compact

Abstract

AbstractDespite extensive academic debate as to what corporate social responsibility (CSR) and other related conceptsoughtto encompass, there is a lack of critical analysis of what CSR in practice entails, i.e., whatactuallyconstitutes CSR practices. This paper critically addresses this question by focusing on one of the most influential CSR initiatives – the UN Global Compact. We demonstrate that the principles of the Global Compact are rooted in a European Enlightenment tradition and, based on a study of an Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) CSR project in a Tanzanian village, we illustrate how these principles translate into corporate projects that challenge local institutions, while remaining unquestioned. The paper concludes by opening a space for discussing the desirability of the Enlightenment ethos manifested in Global Compact projects. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.