Corporate Social Responsibility and the Paradoxes of State Capitalism

Through a series of case studies in diverse regions of the world, this book explores how transnational Norwegian energy and extractive industries handle corporate social responsibility (CSR) when operating abroad in places such as China, Brazil, and Turkey. With significant state ownership and embeddedness in the Nordic societal model, Norwegian capitalism is often represented as “benign” or ethical. By tracing CSR policy and practice—from headquarters to operations—this volume critically explores the workings of Norwegian corporate capitalism and its engagement with key issues of responsibility, accountability, and sustainability.

Ståle Knudsen is Professor in the Department of Social Anthropology, University of Bergen, Norway. Knudsen has, since the early 1990s, done ethnographic fieldwork in Turkey, and his publications include the monograph, Fisheries in Modernizing Turkey (Berghahn 2009).

Ståle Knudsen is Professor in the Department of Social Anthropology, University of Bergen, Norway. Knudsen has, since the early 1990s, done ethnographic fieldwork in Turkey, and his publications include the monograph, Fisheries in Modernizing Turkey (Berghahn 2009).

“Offers a timely and vital critique of the practice of corporate social responsibility by state-owned companies, filling a gap in existing literature that focuses on private firms.” • Jessica Smith, Colorado School of Mines