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Abstract
Interactions between corporations and nonprofits are on the rise, frequently driven by a corporate interest in establishing
credentials for corporate social responsibility (CSR). In this article, we show how increasing demands for accountability
directed at both businesses and NGOs can have the unintended effect of compromising the autonomy of nonprofits and fostering
their co-optation. Greater scrutiny of NGO spending driven by self-appointed watchdogs of the nonprofit sector and a prevalence
of strategic notions of CSR advanced by corporate actors weaken the ability of civil society actors to change the business
practices of their partners in the commercial sector. To counter this trend, we argue that corporations should embrace a political
notion of CSR and should actively encourage NGOs to strengthen “downward accountability” mechanisms, even if this creates
more tensions in corporate–NGO partnerships. Rather than seeing NGOs as tools in a competition for a comparative advantage
in the market place, corporations should actively support NGO independence and critical capacity.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-13
- DOI 10.1007/s10551-011-1057-9
- Authors
- Dorothea Baur, Institute for Business Ethics, University of St. Gallen, Tannenstrasse 19, CH-9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland
- Hans Peter Schmitz, Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, Maxwell School of Syracuse University, Syracuse, USA
- Journal Journal of Business Ethics
- Online ISSN 1573-0697
- Print ISSN 0167-4544