| Why are multinational corporations (MNCs) increasingly engaging in alleviating severe social problems, i.e. poverty, environmental issues, health, and illiteracy, and promoting human rights? After the launch of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from the United Nations in 2000, a remarkable number of multinational corporations responded to the call with different forms of commitment. A recent stream of literature inscribes these efforts within the realm of a political view of the firm, according to which MNCs are increasingly called to assume higher-order responsibilities, similar to the ones traditionally assigned to the state (Scherer and Palazzo, 2007, 2011). Building on sensemaking and institutional theory, this theoretical paper tries to understand whether or not we are facing a process of proto-institutional creation in CSR, and with what potential consequences. |