Abstract
The hegemonic conception of civil society (CS), also known as neo-Tocquevillian, suggests that it is all-powerful and carries significant influence. This idealistic perspective, which is rooted in the Scottish Enlightenment of the eighteenth century, and has more recently been reinterpreted through a Habermasian lens, implicitly assumes that CS is independent of institutional pressure from business, governments, or even citizens. Here, this approach is challenged, drawing on concepts developed by critical thinkers such as Hegel, Marx, Adorno, and Gramsci. The adoption of this standpoint also provides insight into the tensions between CS organizations and corporate social responsibility.
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Notes
- 1.
In the management literature, for example, there is a strong belief that the activity of MNCs should be regulated through CS actions. This idea serves to mask the real power loci where change could happen (e.g., within the European Commission).
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Delalieux, G. (2022). A Critical Approach to Civil Society: The Case of Corporate Social Responsibility. In: Neesham, C., Reihlen, M., Schoeneborn, D. (eds) Handbook of Philosophy of Management. Handbooks in Philosophy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76606-1_62
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