The impact of local CSR projects on sustainable human development: Applications to projects conducted by multinationals in Nigeria and Mexico.

Summary The recent legal framework on corporate social responsibility (CSR) is leading multinationals to take an increasing interest in measuring the social impact of their practices. Based on two case studies, this thesis examines the impact of CSR projects on the human development, particularly relational, of the populations concerned. The first part of the thesis is devoted to the construction of a theoretical framework. By revealing the underlying hypotheses of development indicators, CSR visions and impact assessment perspectives, convergences and incompatibilities between different postures characteristic of these three objects are brought to the fore. This leads me to favor an analysis methodology based on non-experimental quantitative methods and qualitative analyses, which mobilize a multidimensional approach to development based on the capabilities approach. The second part of the thesis presents empirical applications based on impact evaluations of societal programs conducted by Total in Nigeria and an inclusive recycling project conducted by Danone in Mexico. The empirical results show that beyond their impact on poverty, these projects have important effects on the social fabric. This demonstrates the value of evaluative frameworks that use unconventional indicators and that shed light on the figures by providing a qualitative understanding of the processes of change and power relations.