Development in an Era of Capital Control

Book excerpt: Development in an Era of Capital Control investigates Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), a 21st century buzz word. Centred around the responsibility of business to give back to society, this idea is a departure from the traditional view that the responsibility of business is to make a profit. Instead, it supposes that business, society and government can unite to enhance the quality of life in the community in which the business operates. This book works from the premise that whereas CSR could assist in developing communities, the quality and value of this contribution is constrained by pre-existing inequalities in the global system, which themselves can be traced to states’ histories and furthered by globalisation. Ciara Hackett shows that while the concept of CSR was designed for an environment where all states are equal, this does not ring true in the real world and consequently the potential for CSR to contribute to development is restricted, most profoundly in those states that would benefit the most.