Corporate Social Responsibility and Development in India1

Abstract

This paper is a normative analysis of corporate governance in India. The aim is to investigate the extent to which corporations in India, in their various dealings, have conformed to defensible normative standards and to identify the factors which have influenced their rate of (non)-conformity. The paper makes an attempt to understand how conformity to defensible standards can be better promoted. The normative standards to which corporations are subject can be categorized into three broad areas, namely, political, social and economic responsibilities. The focus here is on the least controversial area, that is, the economic responsi bilities of corporations. The author concludes with some reflections on the task of promoting more respon sible corporate governance.