Una questione di equilibrio? L'istituzione locale come attore chiave nella diffusione delle pratiche di RSI

The article is a contribution to the debate on the role that stakeholder "public actor", and in particular the local institution, can play as a co-producer of of corporate social responsibility (CSR) conducts. To this aim, suggestions are taken from a recent qualitative research on the practices (and dilemmas), in the field of CSR, of a group of small-medium enterprises. The emerging scenario suggests that the role of local institutions as key actors in promoting an approach to sustainability among businesses should imply – in general - a "balance capacity": for example, by indicating business solutions without imposing them, by supporting businesses in CSR paths without bearing their investments in this area, by identifying and proposing sustainability guidelines without feeding processes of isomorphic ceremonialism. But above all, the peculiarity of this balanced approach would seem to lie in the ability to realize a double integration. The first is to address both businesses and citizens as key audiences of messages and institutional initiatives in the area of CSR, consistently with what still appears to many the "mission" of the public sphere (i.e., bridging different areas of institutional life). Secondly, the paper points out the need for public policies in promoting CSR that include both technical channels (tailored to specific firms and consumers’ situations) and a cultural and educational agenda aimed at increasing awareness around the issues of sustainability in the community and among market actors. Ultimately, the development of this potential profile for the local institution could be an important step for overcoming the dichotomy between regulatory and business-oriented perspective on the meaning and function of public action in the field of CSR.