School of Earth and Environment

Sustainability Research (SRI) PhD Projects

CSR and Development in the Agri-food sector

Supervisors: Dr Anne Tallontire

In recent decades, development practitioners have become increasingly interested in the use of the voluntary activities of business and the market, The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) argues that “promoting “corporate social responsibility” can open up the wider discussion about the contribution international businesses make to sustainable development.” Similarly, the Global Compact now widens its remit beyond business practices to include explicitly the objective to “catalyze [business] actions in support of broader UN goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)” (UN Global Compact, 2008).

Some welcome the willingness of business to engage with and contribute to development while conferences are held that champion ‘business as an agent of world benefit’. However, there is also growing literature on the divergence between the rhetoric of development aspirations and the outcomes of business engagement in developing communities. Others have highlighted how the ‘business case’ only supports some forms of development and raises conflicts in terms of priorities for development, and also how development is conceived. In the rush for private sector resources to promote development, and indeed to ensure sustainable forms of development, have lessons of accumulated development theory and practice been cast aside?

There an urgent need for greater conceptual development on the ways in which business is engaging with development, and also empirical evidence on the relationship between development and business in terms of the actual outcomes (positive and negative) and future trajectories.

In the agri-food sector, several companies have engaged in measures to promote sustainable development, often related to protecting their own sources of supply, but also often going beyond strict instrumental or economic rationales. This has been undertaken unilaterally or with a range of public, non-governmental and civil society partners in developing countries or internationally. PhD studies focused on companies in the agrifood sector would provide empirical material on the relationship between CR activities and development. Relevant issues include:

  • how development and indeed sustainable development is constructed by the company;
  • roles and responsibilities of different actors with respect to the intervention(s) at different levels;
  • the institutional mechanisms through which the company engages in development related activities;
  • the way in which power of the company (and indeed other actors) is exercised;
  • outcomes and impacts at a range of levels, from local level indicators to the Millennium Development Goals.

Supporting documents: 
If you would like to be considered for research in this area, you will need to provide a full research proposal. This should be no longer than 6 pages, plus referencing. You will need to present the proposal in sections to include an introduction, the aims of the project/research questions, full methodology, and referencing. Referencing should be done in the style of a journal related to this research area.

Funding: 
There is no funding specifically attached to this project, but candidates can apply to University scholarships, such as :

Home/EU: University Research Scholarship (URS) – full information at http://scholarships.leeds.ac.uk

International: Fully-funded International Research Scholarship (FIRS), and China Scholarship Council 
(CSC)-Leeds Partnership – full information at http://scholarships.leeds.ac.uk

Note to candidate: You will need to demonstrate that you have/are being considered for 3 years of funding to include tuition fees and living costs. Additionally, a bench fee may be charged, to cover exceptional consumables/fieldwork costs needed for successful completion of the project. Please see the notes on ‘fees and scholarships’ in the main menu.

Entry requirements/necessary background: 
The minimum entry requirement is 2.1 UK BSc (Hons), preferably in a social science subject.