Corporate Social Responsibility in the Post-Pandemic Era — Lessons for Emerging Economies

Abstract

The paper’s primary objective is to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the effect of the Coronavirus disease  (COVID-19) pandemic on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices with specific discourse on emerging  economies like India. It is highly relevant given the repeated waves of the pandemic and the critical need for  impactful CSR initiatives globally. It examines the evolution, present status, and challenges of CSR in India and  identifies the impact of current CSR practices on stakeholders, highlighting organizational lessons learned. The  research is based on secondary data, systematically analyzing 427 papers. The authors defined keywords and  inclusion/exclusion criteria, finding 64 papers suitable for their objectives. Results show that rigorous preparation  and risk identification are crucial, as the pandemic demands quick adaptation to avoid collapse. The paper  recommends that developing countries customize CSR programs to their specific contexts. Furthermore,  organizations should adopt the stakeholder theory of CSR, becoming answerable to all stakeholders impacted by  their business.