Social responsability of firms: the contraface of civilian society and citizenship

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to study the changes that have been taking place in the relationship between civil society and the state and the specific manifestation of these changes in the proposals concerning Corporate Social Responsibility. The study is based on the hypothesis that these practices have been contributing to the formation of consensuses that strengthen the hegemony of capital, through the reduction of the role of the State and the strengthening of the private sector in social regulation. This situation indicates changes in the relationship between the State and civil society since Corporate Social Responsibility is manifest as a new proposal for sociability and as a response to expressions of social issues. Finally, the paper identifies that the social services offered through Corporate Social Responsibility programs strengthen the field of voluntary work, of solidarity and of institutions in the third sector, making the role of Social Workers more precarious with repercussions in the sphere of citizenship and for other values and principles that sustain the ethical-political project of this profession.
Key words – Civil society. Corporate social responsibility. Citizenship.