CSR public policy

The CSR Navigator -- An international comparison of public policies

For the study "The CSR Navigator -- Public policies in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe," the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the German Society for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) teamed up to examine how governments can support corporations in their efforts to be socially responsible. This involved identifying the driving forces behind the development of CSR policies and the instruments that exist for promoting CSR within 13 countries in Africa, the United States, Asia and Europe. The study, which was released in 2007, provided an overview of the current status of political instruments for CSR and their implementation in various social and economic systems.

Aside from the depiction of national CSR policies, the study also presents a specific instrument for further development: The CSR Navigator, developed especially for this study, makes it possible to establish the relationship between the cultural context of a country, the objectives of the CSR policy and appropriate political tools for developing corporate social responsibility. With the help of the CSR Navigator, users can learn if it makes sense to link CSR to public tenders or if uniform standards for CSR reports from the company would be a reasonable step for further formulation of a country’s CSR policy.

The study was published in English and was carried out with support from the Institute for Development and Peace at the University of Duisburg-Essen, along with numerous experts in the subject countries.

An updated version of the study is planned to be released in late 2009. In addition to analysis of additional countries such as Columbia, this version will also contain statements on the effectiveness of selected policy instruments in promoting CSR.