Critical perspectives on CSR and development: what we know, what we don't know, and what we need to know

The May 2005 issue of International Affairs addressed the theme of critical perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the developing world. The aim of this article is to take the debate a step further. Five researchers and practitioners on corporate social responsibility and development in various regions in the developing world—Central America, Pakistan, China, Vietnam, Argentina and India—using knowledge gained by their empirical research, argue that the management-oriented perspective on CSR and development is one-sided. While recognizing that critical approaches to the question have emerged, there is still a need to know which issues should form part of a critical research agenda on CSR and development.
In this article the authors seek to fill this gap in order to facilitate a more in-depth investigation of what CSR initiatives can or cannot achieve in relation to improving conditions of workers and communities in the global South. They suggest that a critical research agenda on CSR and development should encompass four areas: a) the relationship between business and poverty reduction; b) the impact of CSR initiatives; c) governance dimensions of CSR; and d) power and participation in CSR. Such an alternative critical approach focuses on society's most vulnerable groups and adopts a 'people-centred' perspective as a counterbalance to the dominant 'business case' perspective. The authors conclude that this has significant implications for CSR practice.     

Where do we come from,where do we go: Political anthropology looks ahead

Robbins Burling. The Passage of Power: Studies in Political Succession. New York: Academic Press, 1974. xiv + 322 pp. Maps, figures, appendixes and index. $11.50.

Abner Cohen. Two‐Dimensional Man: An Essay on the Anthropology of Power and Symbolism in Complex Society. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1974. xii + 156 pp. Bibliography and index. $8.50.     

The role of forests in global climate change: whence we come and where we go

Neither the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) nor the Kyoto Protocol include a satisfying mechanism for reducing the substantial emissions from deforestation which are responsible for about a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. It is acknowledged that planting forests, for example through afforestation and reforestation in the Clean Development Mechanism, clearly provides an opportunity to sequester carbon in vegetation and soils. However, it takes decades to restore carbon stocks that have been lost as a result of land-use changes. Reducing the rate of deforestation is the only effective way to reduce carbon losses from forest ecosystems. As negotiations on a post-Kyoto agreement have already started the authors argue that a complete and fair post-Kyoto regime will have to expand existing regulations by creating a framework to encompass all land-use and forest-related changes in carbon stocks. Developing countries administer the majority of the world's environmental resources and provide a vital global public good by maintaining environmental assets. However, with increasing pressure on development and the use of resources, developing countries can hardly be expected to provide these services free. Therefore, they will have to be integrated into a more comprehensive incentive framework which also rewards forestry conservation, sustainable forest management and afforestation. The authors discuss how an incentive system for the protection of forests can be included in a future climate regime. Different design choices are considered and two recent approaches to reward developing countries that avoid further deforestation are compared: the 'compensated reduction of deforestation' approach and the Carbon Stock Approach.     

非去不可 那些无法错过的城市地标

每当我们去到一个陌生的城市,有些地方是必去的,如果不去,似乎就留下了无法挽回的遗憾。正如我们常常会听人说:"去某某城市,如果不去什么什么地方,就等于没有来过……"这样的话听多了,自然就成了大多数人恪守的游玩之道了。每个城市都有自己的地标,比如北京的故宫,巴黎的埃菲尔铁塔,曼哈顿的自由女神像……这些都是我们非去不可也无法错过必游之地,那么除了这些地方,还有哪些城市地标是你向往已久的?这个夏天没有遗憾!赶快锁定一个目标城市,去看看那里无法错过的城市地标,无疑会是一次不错的旅行。     

The bad things we do because of empathy

ABSTRACT

Empathy is usually seen as a prosocial and morally positive influence on behaviour. This article provides an overview of cases of negative acts motivated by empathy. It includes discussions of polarizations that are fueled by side-taking and empathy, selfish forms of empathy (such as sadistic empathy, vampirism, and helicopter parenting), and filtered empathy (using identification with a third person as a medium to have empathy with another). The definition of empathy used is to co-experience the situation of another.     

四月,我们一起赏牡丹

<正>四月,如果你想要选一个城市作休闲之旅,不妨考虑洛阳。四月洛阳,正是牡丹怒放的时节,"花开花落二十日,一城之人皆若狂"的牡     

‘The land we have we must hold’: soil erosion and soil conservation in late nineteenth- and twentieth-century New Zealand

Most accounts of the emergence of soil conservation practices in New Zealand have been written by individuals centrally involved in the area. These accounts typically give prominence to the motives and actions of individuals. This paper offers a contrasting viewpoint by discussing developments in soil conservation in terms of some of the elemental functions of states. This perspective reveals how soil conservation in New Zealand emerged out of a ‘war against nature’ linked to colonial land settlement, how in the twentieth century it performed both a social welfare and economic management function, and less obviously how soil conservation was interpreted in terms of national identity.     

'You'll see how big we are': Journey into America

This is a review of Akbar Ahmed's documentary Journey into America. Produced and narrated by Akbar Ahmed; directed by Craig Consadine, 2009, 99 minutes.     

我们今天要纂修一部什么样的清史

在党中央、国务院的亲切关怀下 ,清史纂修工程已正式启动。要顺利地、高质量地完成这项新世纪规模宏大的文化工程 ,必须团结和依靠全国清史学界以及其他有关学科专家的力量 ,同心同德 ,群策群力 ,共同奋斗。特别是对修纂工作中的一些重要问题 ,必须充分发扬学术民主 ,集思广益 ,博采众长 ,在百家争鸣的基础上 ,通过认真的讨论争辩 ,逐步取得共识 ,才能够形成较为理想的方案 ,作出比较科学的判断。在当今这个时代 ,我们究竟要纂修一部什么样的清史 ,就是需要认真讨论的重要问题之一。我想对这个问题 ,提出一点自己的想法 ,作为一家之言 ,参加…     

Norwegian national day oratory: constructing and reconstructing a national we

National day speeches play an explicit part in defining national identities. In this article, we examine how mayors in Norwegian municipalities reflect on Norway's increased diversity in their 17 May speeches. National day speeches in Norway are supposed to focus on unity, not conflict. Yet, what have they become in the context of diversity? In applying theoretical perspectives on nations, rituals and language to data consisting of a selection of speeches, our analysis identifies themes that structure a typical 17 May speech. We explore the use of plural pronouns in the speeches and how they make Norwegian national identity more or less accessible for people with minority backgrounds. By including ethnic minorities in national day rhetoric, the speakers negotiate who belongs in the Norwegian community in a less directly political way than in everyday life. Yet, whilst the genre is celebratory, the national day speeches also echo different political attitudes towards diversity and integration.     

秋收季:味觉要旅行

<正>秋天是出门旅行的最佳季节。自古以来,人们便有秋高气爽之时行吟于山水之间的雅兴。特别是在此刻,盛夏的暑气渐渐消散、秋风送来缕缕凉意之时,慵懒了许久的脚步已经迫不及待地要步入天地之间。秋天还是丰收的季节,此时物产的丰富也注定了我们的旅途不会寂寞。在旅途中,