The politics of corporate social responsibility in the mining industry in Burkina Faso

This paper examines the non-market strategy of a multinational corporation in an institutionally weak country, specifically focusing on its corporate social responsibility. Theoretically, the paper argues that the motives and outcomes of corporate social responsibility could facilitate corporate political activity, in the presence of weak institutions. Using interview data collected from a company operating in the gold mining sector in Burkina Faso, the paper provides interesting insights into ‘how’ and ‘why’ multinational corporations actually engage in corporate social responsibility in institutionally weak countries. The findings further assert that MNCs’ corporate social responsibility can be used, in such contexts, to facilitate the co-creation of institutional arrangements to mitigate operational risks.