Forward-looking responsibility and political corporate social responsibility

Abstract

This paper contributes to the literature on political corporate social responsibility (PCSR) by considering the forward-looking, political responsibilities of corporations in relation to structural injustice, based on a critical engagement with Iris Marion Young's Social Connection Model (SCM) of responsibility. Although Young's SCM serves as a key reference point in the PCSR literature, engagement with her work tends to be superficial and lacks critical engagement. By offering a more developed engagement with Young's SCM, this paper addresses several themes that have been highlighted as being insufficiently developed in the PCSR literature. In particular, this paper considers (i) the grounds for corporate political responsibility in relation to structural injustice rather than globalization; (ii) the scope of corporate political responsibilities vis-à-vis other actors; and (iii) the role of power in relation to deliberative processes and in relation to scope.