WHICH MODEL IS EMERGING OF CSR IN TUNISIA POSTREVOLUTIONARY? RESULTS OF A STUDY EMPIRICAL

Abstract

This paper analyzes the CSR trajectory in developing countries facing political and social upheavals,
drawing on the example of Tunisia after the 2011 Revolution. We propose an analytical framework based
on institutional theories of organizations combining, on the one hand, the explicit/implicit CSR model
(Matten et Moon, 2008) and on the other hand, the research focusing on institutionalization of CSR
in a period of crises and disruptions (Zhao et al., 2014). We conducted 28 interviews with managers,
CSR professionals and civil society representatives. Our findings show that the model of explicit CSR
prevails today. This model relies on two concomitant processes that reinforce each other. One process,
exogenous in essence, derives from interactions between CSR promoters at the international level and
the state (normative isomorphism). The other process, rather endogenous, points out to the awareness
of a growing number of companies for the need to manage social and community risk in a context
marked by the multiplication of social demands and a better structuring of civil society.