Comparing corporate social responsibilities in Lao PDR and Thailand: international business and poverty alleviation

Poverty has long been one of the major social problems in Thailand and Laos. By examining the geopolitics of poverty and international business, this paper argues that although corporate social responsibility (CSR) in developing countries has been increasingly gaining attention, issues of particular concern to stakeholders in the West are those which dominate the poverty-related CSR agenda. This is partly because Multinational corporations’ primary stakeholders are located in the West and CSR initiatives in Thailand and Laos are targeted at these audiences rather than oriented towards their beneficiaries in the host countries. Local Thai and Laotian factors promoting poverty alleviation activities among MNCs seem to be missing in the literature. Some practical CSR points from the literature confirm that poverty-related CSR activities must be integrated with social issues such as health, education and governance in Thailand and Lao PDR.