Corporate Social Responsibility in Oligopoly

This paper studies firms owners' incentives to engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in an oligopolistic market, in a strategic delegation and vertical product differentiation context. Firms' owners have the opportunity to hire "socially responsible" managers and delegate to them CSR effort and market competition decisions. In equilibrium, both owners employ socially responsible managers. The strategic behavior of owners to hire socially responsible managers increases both output and profits. The societal consequences of Corporate Social Responsibility are also discussed.