Corporate Socialist Responsibility:The Legislative Reification of a Corporate State Apparatus in Xi Jinping's New Era

Description

This talk explores corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Xi Jinping’s New Era (2012- present) and the institutionalisation of the Party-state’s moral and ideological vision in relation to the private sector. Analysis of legislative, regulatory and policy documents reveals how the Party-state has sought to both constrain the private sector and mobilise it in service of state-building projects. Examples of recent CSR issues are also introduced to illustrate three key theoretical arguments emerging from the research which may inform our understanding of the role of the private sector in the mediation and negotiation of morality and ideology in Xi’s New Era. Firstly, alongside the Althusserian realms of the repressive state apparatus (RSA) and the ideological state apparatus (ISA), an emergent third realm is theorised which we have termed the Corporate State Apparatus (CSA). Reified through the strategic implementation of legislation, regulation and policy, the CSA constitutes a restrictive and coercive institutional nexus in which corporate citizens are mobilised in service of the Party-state’s morality and ideology campaigns. Secondly, CSR itself is transformed in the Chinese context due to the top-down formulation and legislative imposition of CSR by the Party-state. Legislation effectively elevates the Party-state above all other stakeholders whilst also inverting the prioritisation of four key components of conventional CSR strategy: the economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities of companies. Finally, the CSE creates a form of consumerism which serves as an arena for the performative expression of national identity, values and citizenship consistent with the Party-state’s morality and ideology.

Period	29 Aug 2024
Event title	European Association of China Studies: Conference 2024
Event type	Conference
Location	Tallinn, EstoniaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International