The Bottom Line

March 27, 2007

Corporate social responsibility works, and progressives shouldn't abandon it.

A response to Aaron Chatterji and Sonia Listokin

It is surprising and a bit disheartening to see two progressive thinkers embrace an old canard frequently found in the pages of the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, and other business-oriented publications: the notion that the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement has "misguided" progressives into thinking that large companies can be "cajoled" into undertaking socially conscious activities. Yet Aaron Chatterji and Siona Listokin make precisely this argument in "Corporate Social Irresponsibility" [Issue #3]. In advising progressives to turn away from CSR, the authors perpetuate the myth that companies must choose between profits and responsible business practices...