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Lars H. Gulbrandsen and Arild Moe Oil Company CSR Collaboration in “New” Petro-States Beyond CSR? Business, Poverty and Social Justice National Liberal Club, London, 22 May 2006. Starting points.
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Lars H. Gulbrandsen and Arild Moe Oil Company CSR Collaboration in “New” Petro-States Beyond CSR? Business, Poverty and Social Justice National Liberal Club, London, 22 May 2006
Starting points • Opening of oil-rich, hitherto ‘closed’ petroleum provinces - with problematic political conditions • Need for geographic diversification (of international oil companies) • The communications revolution and the ascent of the NGOs
The paradox of plenty: The macro CSR Challenge • ‘The resource curse’: Negative correlation between resource endowment and social development in developing countries • Rapid development of natural resources has negative impact on economic and political development? • New expectations to international oil companies
Expectations to the oil industry - from micro to macro CSR • Reinvestment in local communities - local content • Protection of indigenous people • Employment • Environmental safeguards • Anti-corruption • Transparency • Ensure that oil revenues are used for wider social development
Degree of commitment: communication - and action? Macro Community TotalFinaElf Unspecified
Differences, but also similarities: Scope for co-operation between companies? • A fiercely competitive industry, but nevertheless a lot of co-operation • Consortia / operating companies: CSR excluded • Establishment of special co-operative forums
Collaborative forums • Azerbaijan • Business Development Alliance • Government and Public Advisory Forum • Kazakhstan • Kazakhstan Petroleum Association • Foreign Investors Council
Example: Issues raised - Azerbaijan • Improvement in tax and regulatory regime • Training of journalists • Anti-corruption programme • Common brochure on CSR policies • Meeting with the opposition => Collective action very limited
Practical co-operation on micro-issues Oil companies typically engage themselves individually in the micro-CSR issues • Benign issues • CSR ”competition” • PR effects
Practical co-operation on macro-issues • Oil companies have difficulty co-operating to address and promote macro CSR-issues • ‘Malign’ issues • Different company policies • Position in host country - vulnerability: • Exploration /production phase • Size • Operator /partner • Collective action problems
Still unchartered waters Inadequacies of industry: • Insufficient expertise, unintended side-effects Competing norms: • National sovereignty vs Global norms Need for broader legitimacy: • Co-operation with international institutions - possibility?