Evolution of corporate social responsibility: two sets of explanation

Purpose This study aims to advance two sets of explanation on the evolution of corporate social responsibility (CSR) - one set of explanation in the context of a developed country, USA, and another in the context of a developing country, India. The discussion includes the period after mandatory CSR rules were implemented in India. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper on the historical evolution of CSR in the USA and India. It reviews the chronological evolution of CSR. It compares the phases of CSR evolution between the two countries by tracking their CSR growth curves. Findings This study divides the evolution of CSR in the USA into four phases - conceptualization, introduction, growth and consolidation. In the first two phases, the rate of growth in CSR increases at a decreasing rate; in the growth phase, it increases at an increasing rate which stabilizes in the consolidation phase. In the Indian context, the study considers a three phase growth - conceptualization, introduction and growth. In the first two phases, the growth in CSR curve is inelastic. In the third phase, the growth rate increases but at a rate less than that in the USA. Originality/value Though past research has examined historical evolution of CSR in the US context, scant research has tracked CSR evolution in India. Not many studies have compared the growth of CSR between developed and developing countries. This study also contributes the concept of CSR growth curves to the extant literature on CSR.