Kazakhstan's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Lullabies: The Power of Culturally Familiar Narratives

Abstract: This study explores corporate social responsibility (CSR) narratives in the former Soviet nation of Kazakhstan using a mixed-method approach. Content analysis of local media treatment of CSR reveals that a worker welfare narrative, a keystone of the Soviet era, dominates coverage. Our survey of Kazakhstani citizens demonstrates that the same narrative is reflected in public understandings of CSR. We suggest that the construction of CSR narratives to closely reflect cultural patterns and historical legacies in posttransitional economies may curtail valuable discussion on how companies can best serve society. That is, the cultural familiarity built into CSR discourse renders it highly acceptable and thereby serves to avert further questioning of corporate practices such as the corruption that is currently widespread. This finding raises ethical concerns around how companies may design their CSR narratives with culturally familiar discursive modes specifically to shield themselves from criticism.