Parent-child interaction therapy:An evidence-based treatment for child maltreatment

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The Localization of Transnational CSR Norms: Chinese Corporations and their Contribution to "Harmonious Society"

Es gehört zwischenzeitlich zum Standardrepertoire großer transnationaler Unternehmen, ein Corprate Social Responsibility Engagement zu entwickeln und darüber zu berichten. Die Idee einer unternehmerischen Verantwortung (Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR) hat sich global verbreitet, aber zugleich haben sich unterschiedliche regionale und nationale Verständnisse entwickelt. In diesem Papier schlage ich vor, konstruktivistische Theorieansätze der Normlokalisierung zu nutzen, um nationale Dynamiken im Themenfeld CSR zu analysieren. Die Lokalisierungforschung in den Internationalen Beziehungen hat zu einem besseren Verständnis beigetragen, wie internationale Normen sich in verschiedenen nationalen Kontexten verbreiten, welche Rolle lokale Akteure dabei spielen und wie dies den Inhalt von Normen beeinflusst. Das Papier leistet sowohl einen Beitrag zur Normenforschung, indem Unternehmen als Adressaten von Normen untersucht werden, als auch zur Forschung über CSR in Schwellen- und Entwicklungsländern. Ziel ist es, einen theoretischen Rahmen vorzuschlagen, der helfen kann, unterschiedliche nationale CSR-Praktiken zu verstehen und zu erklären. Das theoretische Argument wird mit einer kurzen Fallstudie zu CSR in China illustriert. Die Idee von CSR fand um das Jahr 2005 Eingang in den nationalen Diskurs und wurde als unternehmerischer Beitrag zur "harmonischen Gesellschaft" gerahmt. Die Politik und Praktiken chinesischer Unternehmen zeichnen sich jedoch durch einige spezifische Charakteristika aus. Nationale CSR-Standards wurden entwickelt, die teilweise mit internationalen Standards konkurrieren.It is nowadays a standard practice for large transnational corporations to engage in and report about their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. The idea of CSR has diffused globally, but at the same time different regional and national understandings have developed. In this paper I propose to use constructivist norm localization theory to analyze national-level dynamics in the field of CSR. Localization research in International Relations (IR) has advanced the understanding of how international norms are traveling to different contexts, what role local actors play and how this affects the content of norms. The paper contributes to research on norms by applying it to corporations as norm addressees and to research on CSR in emerging economies and developing countries. The aim of this paper is to provide a framework for understanding and explaining different national CSR practices. I illustrate the argument by looking at the case of China. The idea of CSR entered into the national discourse after 2005 and was introduced as corporate contribution to "harmonious society". Policies and practices of Chinese corporations, however, display some unique characteristics and national Chinese CSR standards were developed that compete with international ones

Organizational Fields, Transnational Business Governance Interactions and the Diffusion of CSR

The paper analyzes the process of global diffusion of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the oil industry and how interactions between different actors have contributed to this outcome. It starts from the empirical puzzle that CSR has spread globally among transnational corporations since the mid 1990s (diffusion of CSR as a dependent variable). To explain this phenomenon, the paper presents a theoretical argument based on insights from sociological neo-institutionalism. It uses the concept of organizational fields as social spaces where organizations interact with one another. The structuration of an organizational field leads to processes of homogenization among the organizations belonging to it. Empirically, the paper explores the case of the oil industry. It can be shown that an organizational field has developed around the issue of CSR. Actors constituting the organizational field are identified, including multi-stakeholder-initiatives (e.g. EITI and Voluntary Principles), international organizations, NGOs, governmental actors and transnational corporations. The organizations interact with each other and engage in the definition and promotion of CSR standards. As a result of field-level interactions an increasingly dense normative transnational environment has developed where expectations regarding the appropriate behavior of corporations are formulated. With regard to the dependent variable, data on the diffusion of CSR is presented and similarities and differences between corporate CSR approaches are discussed

Organizational Fields, Transnational Business Governance Interactions and the Diffusion of CSR

The paper analyzes the process of global diffusion of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the oil industry and how interactions between different actors have contributed to this outcome. It starts from the empirical puzzle that CSR has spread globally among transnational corporations since the mid 1990s (diffusion of CSR as a dependent variable). To explain this phenomenon, the paper presents a theoretical argument based on insights from sociological neo-institutionalism. It uses the concept of organizational fields as social spaces where organizations interact with one another. The structuration of an organizational field leads to processes of homogenization among the organizations belonging to it. Empirically, the paper explores the case of the oil industry. It can be shown that an organizational field has developed around the issue of CSR. Actors constituting the organizational field are identified, including multi-stakeholder-initiatives (e.g. EITI and Voluntary Principles), international organizations, NGOs, governmental actors and transnational corporations. The organizations interact with each other and engage in the definition and promotion of CSR standards. As a result of field-level interactions an increasingly dense normative transnational environment has developed where expectations regarding the appropriate behavior of corporations are formulated. With regard to the dependent variable, data on the diffusion of CSR is presented and similarities and differences between corporate CSR approaches are discussed

Germany’s strategy on security sector reform and gender: ensuring value-based and interministerial implementation

Gender equality is an important principle in the German Government’s Strategy to Support Security Sector Reform (SSR). In order to put this into practice, the ministries involved need to go beyond agreeing on specific goals and measures that should be reported on within the framework of Germany’s new National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. They must also confront conflicts in partner countries. Sensitivity to local context must not mean ignoring gender equality

Bad guys, good guys, or something in between? Corporate governance contributions in zones of violent conflict

In der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung wurden Unternehmen über lange Zeit hinweg als Akteure betrachtet, die Gewaltkonflikte eher verschärfen oder verlängern. Dies wurde insbesondere durch die Forschung zu Kriegsökonomien und zur Rolle natürlicher Ressourcen in Konflikten bekräftigt. In der Global Governance-Forschung wurde in den letzten Jahren jedoch auch diskutiert, inwieweit privatwirtschaftliche Akteure bzw. Unternehmen Steuerungsleistungen erbringen können und welche spezifische Rolle sie in Konfliktregionen haben. Das Forschungsprojekt zu 'Unternehmen in Konfliktzonen' an der Hessischen Stiftung Friedens- und Konfliktforschung greift diese Debatte über die potenziell positive Rolle von Unternehmen auf und geht der Frage nach, wie und unter welchen Bedingungen Unternehmen in Konfliktzonen zu Sicherheit und Frieden beitragen. Es wird dabei angenommen, dass Unternehmen dies auf zwei unterschiedlichen Wegen tun können: erstens unintentional durch ihre Geschäftstätigkeit und zweitens durch intentionale Aktivitäten im Rahmen von Corporate Governance. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden hierzu vier Fallstudien vorgestellt: (1) die Nahrungs- und Getränkeindustrie in Ruanda, (2) das Logistikunternehmen 'Kühne+Nagel' in Nordirland, (3) der Reiseveranstalter 'Studiosus' in Israel und (4) der Mineralölkonzern 'Shell' in Nigeria. (ICG

Editorial to the Issue on Legitimization of Private and Public Regulation: Past and Present

This thematic issue brings together research from political science and legal history about legitimacy discourses covering different forms of public-private co-regulation and private self-regulation, domestic and transnational, past and present. These forms of governance highlight the important role of non-state actors in exercising public authority. There has been a growing debate about the legitimacy of non-state actors setting and enforcing norms and providing public goods and services. However, the focus of this thematic issue is not on developing abstract criteria of legitimacy. Rather, the authors analyze legitimacy discourses around different cases of privatized or partly privatized forms of governance from the early 20th century until today. Legitimacy is subject to empirical and not normative analysis. Legitimacy discourses are analyzed in order to shed light on the legitimacy conceptions that actors hold, what they consider as legitimate institutions, and based on what criteria. The particular focus of this thematic issue is to examine whether the significance of democratic legitimacy is decreasing as the importance of regulation exercised by private actors is increasing

The Role of Coping in Processes of Resilience: The sample case of academic coping during late childhood and early adolescence

Developmentalists have increasingly concluded that systems approaches to resilience provide a useful higher-order home for the study of the development of coping. Building on previous work on the complementarity of resilience and coping, this paper had two goals: (1) to propose a set of strategies for examining the role of coping in processes of resilience, and (2) to test their utility in the academic domain, using poor relationships with the teacher as a risk factor, and classroom engagement as an outcome. This study examined whether coping serves as a: (1) promotive factor, supporting positive development at any level of risk; (2) pathway through which risk contributes to development; (3) protective factor that mitigates the effects of risk; (4) reciprocal process generating risk; (5) mechanism through which other promotive factors operate; (6) mechanism through which other protective factors operate; and (7) participant with other supports that shows cumulative or compensatory effects. Analyses showed that academic coping at this age was primarily a mediator of risk and support, and a promotive factor that added to engagement for students with multiple combinations of risk and support. Implications are discussed, along with next steps in exploring the role of coping in processes of resilience

Transnational corporations and conflict prevention : The impact of norms on private actors

Increasingly, scholarly attention has been devoted to economic dimensions of civil wars and especially the involvement of corporate actors in regions of conflict and their role in conflict prevention. When looking at the behavior of TNCs in the extractive industry in different zones of conflict, very different reactions can be recognized: Some leave, others stay, and some TNCs become actively engaged in conflict prevention. This paper argues that in some cases TNCs engage in conflict prevention because they have adopted a corporate social responsibility norm over time. TNCs go through different phases within a norm socialization process: First being guided by a logic of consequences, then becoming "self- entrapped" in justifying their (non-)role in a conflict, and, in a later phase, gradually accepting some responsibility in a conflict zone. This phase evenutally leads to initiatives and measures contributing to conflict prevention. This increase in conflict prevention measures undertaken by TNCs is influenced by three factors: Activist pressure, reputational concern and the legitimacy of a corporate social responsibility norm. These arguments are applied to one of the most prominent cases of TNC involvement in a conflict zone: Shell in Nigeria. It is demonstrated how Shell changed its policy over time by improving on building human capital (e.g. by supporting community development projects) and by improving on their human rights record (e.g. by minimizing human rights violations around their drilling holes and pipelines). The paper provides not only insights into the complementary nature of the logic of consequences and logic of appropriatenes, but also by looking at TNCs' actions within and between the different phases, it specifies the process of norm socialization of TNCs.Immer mehr wissenschaftliche Aufmerksamkeit wurde den Wirtschaftsdimensionen von Bürgerkriegen und besonders der Beteiligung von korporativen Schauspielern in Gebieten des Konflikts und ihrer Rolle in der Konfliktverhinderung gewidmet. Wenn man den Blick bezüglich des Verhaltens von TNCs (transnational corporations) in der Rohstoffindustrie auf verschiedenen Zonen des Konflikts fokussiert, können sehr verschiedene Reaktionen ausgemacht werden: Einige verlassen das Land, andere bleiben und einige TNCs engagieren sich aktiv in der Konfliktverhinderung. Dieses Papier arbeitet heraus, dass in einigen Fällen sich TNCs mit der Konfliktverhinderung beschäftigen, weil sie im Laufe der Zeit eine korporative soziale Verantwortungsnorm angenommen haben. TNCs gehen verschiedene Phasen innerhalb eines Norm-Sozialisierungsprozesses durch: Zuerst durch eine Logik von Konsequnzen geführt, dann "selbst-geführt" indem sie ihre (nicht-) Rolle in einem Konflikt rechtfertigen. In einer späteren Phase übernehmen sie dann allmählich eine Verantwortung in einer Konfliktzone. Diese Phase führt eventuell zu Initiativen und Maßnahmen, die beitragen, einen Konflikt zu verhindern. Diese Zunahme der durch TNCs durchgeführten Konfliktverhinderungsmaßnahmen ist durch drei Faktoren beeinflusst: Druck durch Aktivisten, Belange der Reputation und die Legitimität einer korporativen sozialen Verantwortungsnorm. Diese Argumente werden auf einen der prominentesten Fälle der TNC-Beteiligung an einer Konfliktzone angewandt: Shell in Nigeria. Es wird demonstriert, wie Shell seine Politik im Laufe der Zeit änderte, indem sich durch die Entwicklung von "Humankapital" die Verhältnisse besserten (z.B durch die Unterstützung von Gemeinschaftsentwicklungsprojekten) und ihre verbesserten Menschenrechts-Protokolle (z.B durch die Minimierung von Menschenrechtsverletzungen in der Nähe von Bohr-Stellen und Pipelines). Der Text gewährt nicht nur Einblicke in die ergänzende Natur der Logik von Folgen und Logik der Anpassung, sondern indem auch die Handlungen von TNCs innerhalb und zwischen den verschiedenen Phasen betrachtet werden. So wird der Prozess der Norm-Sozialisierung von TNCs herausgearbeitet

Public Private Partnerships in der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit: Wirkungen und Lessons Learnt am Beispiel des GTZ/AVE Projektes

"The importance of public-private partnerships in development cooperation is increasing. Against this background the article analyses the effectiveness of the public-private partnership between the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the Foreign Trade Association of the German Retail Industry (AVE). The partnerships project aimed to improve compliance with social standards in the textile industry. The analysis focuses on the effectiveness of the national round tables in Bulgaria, China, and in the Philippines. The article also discusses factors, such as global market structures, the different background conditions in developing countries and the cooperation between project partners, that have an influence on the success of partnership projects." (author's abstract