ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on corporate social responsibility (CSR) which originated in the public sector and which has been developed by actors within that sector, that is, mainly central governments. Danish CSR is explained as a reaction to the social problems of what Matten and Moon refer to as record levels of unemployment and dependency on the government. The role of CSR within the context of the government's inclusive labour market agenda was explicitly stated in the Ministry of Social Affairs CSR campaign of 1994. The Danish government also invested resources into translating the international concept of corporate social responsibility, not just into the Danish language but also into the Danish policy context. According to the historical accounts offered in the literature and by Danish respondents, CSR was a reaction to the social consequences of the economic welfare state crisis of the 1980s.
