1. Corporate Social Responsibility in Representative Economies of Latin America
Kelly Desy
Adriana Suarez
Carla Ricchetti
Deborah Batista
Maria Luisa Betancur

2. OBJECTIVE
Analyze how corporate social responsibility can serve as a tool for Latin American countries to reach the Millennium Development Goals
Investigate private sector and NGO social initiatives in representative countries in Latin America that aim to improve the wellbeing of the civil society
Examine the corporate social responsibility environment in three representative countries of Latin America to find out how these countries can better enable CSR

3. DEFINING CSR
World Bank working definition:
“The commitment of business to contribute to sustainable economic development by working with employees, their families, the local community and society at large to improve the quality of life in ways that are both good for business and good for development.”
This paper’s guiding definition:
“The notion that businesses owe to the society in which they operate a commitment to conduct operations, processes, products and services in a responsible manner that ensures sustainability and positively impacts social and environmental conditions.”

4. METHODOLOGY Extensive literature review
Analysis of 3 different countries in Latin America
Level of CSR development
Ranking on the 2005 The National Corporate Responsibility Index
Interviews with scholars and practitioners in the field who actively participate in CSR efforts around the world
Questionnaires to CSR promoting NGOs
Extensive analysis of the main stakeholders involved in CSR activities in each country: government, private sector, civil society, universities, NGOs/BINGOs, media and consumers
Assessments of economic, political and social data from each of the countries

5. CSR in BOLIVIA
Ranked #80 (out of 83) on the 2005 National Corporate Social Responsibility Index
Most prominent CSR private sector actors in the mining and energy sectors
Could be compromised with the recent nationalization of the natural gas industry
Civil society’s unrest and protests seem to have influenced government nationalization initiatives creating a disconnect between the public and private sectors
The government does not seem to be coordinating with either the private sector or Bolivian CSR-focused NGOs, despite having a Ministry of Sustainable Development
Consejo Boliviano de Responsabilidad Social Empresaria (COBORSE)
National reference in the promotion and diffusion of the culture and practice of CSR in Bolivia in order to support sustainable development
Bolivia is now Latin America’s leader in certified timber products.
Forestry law established strict social and environmental harvesting conditions
Sociedad Boliviana de Cemento (SOBOCE)
CSR program focused on local capacity building in ecotourism enterprise and community support

6. CSR in COLOMBIA
Ranked 56 out of 83 countries on the 2005 National Corporate Social Responsibility Index
Philanthropy is still the most prevalent form of private involvement in social initiatives
The concept of CSR has evolved into
CSR activity has focused on conflict resolution and violence abatement due to Colombia’s civil war

7. CSR in BRAZIL Few specific CSR-promoting regulations and incentives
Government weak involvement as a player
Strong participation of the private sector in CSR activities/projects
Midia – learning process
Positive influence of Instituto Ethos and other NGOs/associations
Consumer – increasing awareness

8. FINDINGS CSR is a voluntary practice
Philanthropy is the most common form of CSR
CSR initiatives are concentrated in certain areas of the country
The media has a large and powerful presence
The NGOs working to promote CSR primarily collaborate with the private sector
General lack of accountability and nationally accepted CSR compliance measures
Lack of government participation in creating a CSR-enabling environment

9. CONCLUSIONS
Each country has its own particularities in terms of CSR implementation
CSR activities - tailored to social and economic features unique to each country
Government has a key role to play in creating CSR -enabling environments
Partnerships between multiple stakeholders

10. RECOMMENDATIONS
NGO assistance and consulting encourage private corporations to follow CSR practices and to institutionalize them in their business strategies and to create a sense of voluntary good corporate citizenship
Reciprocal effort on behalf of the government to adopt socially responsible behavior and programs while setting up mechanisms for ensuring compliance through greater transparency, better record keeping, and monitoring is essential for enabling CSR
The government should include CSR into a formal national strategy aligning public policy with current CSR initiatives to synchronize efforts between private, public, and civil sector actors to better achieve development goals
Media should be utilized as the voice of the civil society’s reactions to business and government involvement in CSR. Media should also serve as a vehicle for the private sector and government to communicate CSR actions and practices to the civil society

11. CONCLUSION
“CSR could be an effective policy instrument to combat high levels of inequality, poverty, inadequacies in education and to help the government achieve its social and economic development goals, especially in Latin America, where countries deal with a wide range of social and environmental issues and have tight budgets”