Sowing the Seeds for Political Influence: Aligning CSR Strategies with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Dr Christiaan Röell’s paper, was described by the award’s judging panel as a great piece of qualitative work. The paper, which builds on five years of data collection from multinational enterprises (MNE) subsidiaries in emerging markets, discusses how MNEs increasingly embrace the SDGs to develop effective political strategies. The study finds that when MNEs make contributions toward the SDGs, they can improve their relationships with government authorities and civil society in host countries and reduce the potential discrimination that can create a liability of foreignness. It also allows some MNEs to become involved in public policy making and, as a result, create a more favourable regulatory environment.
The conference, hosted by SFU Beedie School of Business brought together scholars, practitioners and policymakers to explore geopolitics and how MNEs navigate an increasingly uncertain environment.
His paper was the only qualitative paper at the whole conference and Röell was delighted to hear from several editors from leading North American journals who said they would be willing to review his paper. After working through some feedback he received, he hopes to have his work published in one of the top journals.