Corporate social responsibility in a non-western context: the case of the United Arab Emirates

Osman Antwi-Boateng () and Noura Eisa Saeed Al Harasi
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Osman Antwi-Boateng: United Arab Emirates University
Noura Eisa Saeed Al Harasi: United Arab Emirates University

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 2025, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Using the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a non-Western and Middle Eastern case study, this study investigates the benefits and challenges of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This is pursued via a qualitative methodology of semi-structured in-depth personal interviews of a group of senior managers from the public, private, and quasi-governmental sectors. Using the stakeholder theoryḍ and the thematic analysis approach. the study reveals the following social benefits: improved stakeholder dialogue, value creation, and responsiveness to societal need. Identified economics benefits include: job creation and enhanced corporate competitiveness. Major challenges include: contradictory regulations, dependency culture, lack of embedded frameworks, and poor impact measurement. The contribution of the study are three-folds. First, it shows that CSR in the UAE is influenced by institutional factors and the developmental priorities of the state instead of grassroot demands. Second, it contextualizes stakeholder theory within a rentier state political economy. Third, it illuminates on how CSR operates in rentier states and offers guidance for CSR implementation in similar non-Western contexts.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-05669-z

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