What do stakeholders represent in the multi-stakeholder processes aimed at developing CSR standards? To answer that question we use writings in political philosophy on the concept of representation. Our thesis is that the concept of a stakeholder is ambiguous because what stakeholder categories represent can be either a perspective or an interest. The preferred conception of representation should inform the method used to select and categorize stakeholders. Based on this theoretical framework, the foregoing article undertakes an empirical analysis of the multi-stakeholder process set up to draft ISO 26000, a new international standard to guide organizations in matters of social responsibility.
Ruwet, C. (2010). Que representent les stakeholders? Revue française de science politique, 60(6), 1115-1135. https://doi.org/10.3917/rfsp.606.1115 (Original work published 2010)