The Politicization of CSR Communication: Navigating an Increasingly Complex Landscape of Responsibilities

The Politicization of CSR Communication: Navigating an Increasingly Complex Landscape of Responsibilities

📢 Call for Papers

JOURNAL NAME: Corporate Communications: An International Journal

PUBLISHER: Emerald Publishing

SUBMISSION OPENS: 30 November 2026

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 30 March 2027

ABOUT THIS SPECIAL ISSUE

This Special Issue examines how the politicisation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication shapes organisational practice and the notion of CSR communication itself. While CSR communication has traditionally been associated with consensus building around sustainability and responsible governance, many CSR topics have increasingly become subjects of political partisanship.

Climate action, human rights, and diversity are now frequently framed in partisan terms. Regulatory debates — such as those surrounding the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive in Europe — demonstrate how contested CSR has become. In the United States, political and legal challenges to ESG and diversity initiatives show how organisations operate under heightened political attention. Together, these developments show that CSR communication unfolds in politically charged settings that influence how organisations claim legitimacy and engage stakeholders.

This Special Issue aims to clarify how politicisation affects CSR communication, document organisational responses to political pressures, and analyse communicative strategies that support legitimacy and accountability in contested settings. It seeks contributions with conceptual and empirical insights from diverse regions and disciplines that illuminate the mechanisms through which politicisation influences communication about sustainability and CSR.

SCOPE & THEME AREAS

We invite submissions addressing (but not limited to) the following themes:

1. How politicisation reshapes theories and concepts in CSR communication — Focus on implications for legitimacy, stakeholder engagement, corporate responsibility, political CSR, and communication theory.

2. How organisations manage politicisation in daily CSR communication practice — Exploration of framing strategies, narrative work, internal communication, managerial sensemaking, and risk management.

3. Opportunities and limits of counteracting politicisation through CSR communication — Reflection on communicative strategies that may reduce polarisation, build trust, or foster constructive public dialogue.

4. Political, regulatory, and institutional drivers of politicisation — Analyses of how national politics, regulatory debates, international agreements, and governance structures shape communication environments.

5. Stakeholder perceptions and audience reactions in contested CSR arenas — Studies of how different publics interpret politicised CSR messages, with attention to identity, ideology, trust, and media use.

6. Corporate social advocacy and communication on contentious issues — Examination of when, why, and how organisations take public positions on divisive topics and how such stances influence legitimacy.

7. Mediated environments and the role of news media and digital platforms — Research on how media logics, digital activism, influencers, and algorithmic dynamics amplify or transform politicisation.

8. Interactions between politicisation, ESG expectations, and accountability practices — Insights into how politicised ESG debates shape reporting, transparency, due diligence communication, and investor relations.

9. Comparative and cross-sectoral perspectives on politicised CSR communication — Contributions that explore differences across political systems, industries, organisational types, and cultural contexts.

GUEST EDITORS

Klement Podnar University of Ljubljana, Slovenia ✉️ klement.podnar@fdv.uni-lj.si

Laura Olkkonen LUT University, Finland ✉️ Laura.Olkkonen@lut.fi

Visa Penttilä LUT University, Finland ✉️ Visa.Penttila@lut.fi

Urša Golob University of Ljubljana, Slovenia ✉️ ursa.golob@fdv.uni-lj.si

KEY DEADLINES & DATES

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

How to submit: Manuscripts must be submitted via ScholarOne Manuscripts, strictly following the journal's author guidelines.

Selecting the special issue: At the appropriate submission step, authors must select the special issue title from the drop-down menu in response to "Please select the issue you are submitting to."

Eligibility: Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication elsewhere while under review.

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