Title: Business and norm-building for sustainability: what will work for Indian corporations?

Authors: Atul Sood

Addresses: Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

Abstract: This paper looks at the changes in the institutional arrangements and regulatory structures in India in recent years, identifies the direction and characteristics of these changes, and examines the role of corporations in this process. The paper locates firm behaviour within the larger dimensions of accumulation, profitability, and competitiveness. The regulatory structures in India are being modified by the state on behalf of large corporations in a manner that is enhancing the social vulnerability of the labour force, the peasantry, and other marginal segments of the population and at the same time exacerbating the country's precarious environmental conditions. The paper discusses the fact that even though the Indian Government is not able to properly enforce rules in the areas of labour, environmental standards, and land acquisition, it hopes to enforce corporate social responsibility (CSR). The CSR practices of Indian multinationals indicate that the contribution of corporates based in India to global norm-building is likely to be limited.

Keywords: sustainability; corporate social responsibility; CSR; labour force; environmental standards; land acquisition; India; global norm-building; institutional arrangements; regulatory structures; accumulation; profitability; competitiveness; social vulnerability; government regulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBGE.2015.074351

International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, 2015 Vol.10 No.3/4, pp.324 - 340

Received: 07 Apr 2015
Accepted: 25 Sep 2015

Published online: 23 Jan 2016 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article