Corporate social responsibility and public procurement: How supplying government affects managerial orientations

How does government drive the corporate social responsibility of firms that supply it with goods and services? This paper reviews relevant theory and practice to describe ways in which public procurement shapes corporate social responsibility, and it builds upon theory to develop testable propositions to describe these influences. Using the case of U.S. defense procurement, statistical analysis indicates a significant relationship between the extent to which firms engage in defense procurement and the corporate social responsibility orientations of their managers. The findings have application both for social responsibility theory and for public procurement policy and practice.

► We examine public procurement's effect on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
► We analyze managers' CSR orientations relative to their firms' engagement in public procurement.
► High CSR orientation in legal compliance is significantly related to highpublic procurement.
► Engaging in public procurement orients a firm toward government's view of “good.”