Role of Indian Government in Institutionalising CSR in India

Despite contested origins and nature of CSR practises in India, namely the long-standing tradition versus nascent upheaval as well as philanthropic versus integrative stakeholder approach, today India stands at a new crossroad to redefine the social responsibilities of business. The Government of India plays hereby the leading role in transforming the CSR agenda of this emerging economic power. Consequently, the current paper looks at the role of Indian government in institutionalising CSR in India in light of recent public policy instruments. The study deploys document analysis in order to answer a number of research questions. As a result of thematic analysis, first, it has been established that the government understands CSR primarily from the perspective of triple bottom line and social development. Second, inclusive and sustainable development is identified as first and foremost driver for the government to engage in promotion of CSR. Lastly, it is found that the government portrays the business case and legitimacy as key business benefits for the uptake of CSR by corporations. The paper presents several recommendations to be taken into consideration by the government as an institutional entrepreneur. Furthermore, this study contributes to the research knowledge of CSR in Asian context – a geographic area that has been less explored by CSR scholars