There is a growing awareness that multinational companies have opportunities to influence political conditions. Ethical activities made by multinational companies and “Corporate Social Responsibility” (CSR) can therefore function as a positive input in society. The primary purpose of this master thesis is to investigate CSR´s contribution to strengthen human rights, and thereby to democratization. The research questions are listed below:1. How can the CSR-phenomenon be analyzed in relation to constructivism, legitimacy and democratization through external pressure and civil society?2. What initiatives have been undertaken by nonstate- and intergovernmental actors for companies´ implementation of human rights?3. How can CSR-principles be organized in future?4. How can the CSR-phenomenon be exemplified and related to current human rights-issues in the case of Russia?The theoretical approach represents a somewhat untraditional view on democratization and its origins. Multinational companies are traditionally not analyzed as strengtheners of human rights. The theoretical framework of this thesis is developed from theories of constructivism, legitimacy and democratization through external pressure and civil society and aims to be a tool in analyzing CSR´s contribution to democratization.The study builds on primary as well as secondary sources, and the method is of a qualitative character. The explorative and descriptive nature of the study can shape a ground for further research, perspectives, and debates on CSR and democratization. The case of Russia gives a concrete exemplification of CSR. An analytical instrument is developed to summarize and illustrate how CSR can be studied.The results of the study give an analytical approach to CSR´s contribution to strengthen the situation for human rights in states. The analytical framework was useful to make an analytical description of important aspects regarding the phenomenon. There are limitations in showing correlations in real empirical effects. As a con...
