Vidhi Chaudhri is one of the contributors to the book ‘Global Perspectives on NGO Communication for Social Change’, edited by Giuliana Sorce. This book examines the central role media and communication play in the activities of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) around the globe: how NGOs communicate with key publics, engage stakeholders, target political actors, enable input from civil society, and create participatory opportunities.
Vidhi Chaudhri authored, together with James E. Hein (California State University), the book chapter ‘NGO-Business Partnerships: Implications for Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Change Communication’. The chapter focuses on the rapid transformation of relationships between businesses and non-governmental organizations, from antagonists to collaborators, as a strategy to foster social change. The pressing need for public and private sectors to work together is often codified in corporate efforts to implement their social responsibility (CSR) programs.
In this chapter, Vidhi Chaudhri and James E. Hein review communication, public relations, and management scholarship on collaborative communicative relationships between NGOs and business around social change agendas. With particular attention given to the role of communication in these efforts, they illuminate the main strands of research that help explain factors that facilitate or constrain NGO-business collaborations.
Vidhi Chaudhri: “NGO-business partnerships are quickly becoming the ‘norm’ in matters of CSR and sustainability and have received a new impetus from the UN Sustainable Development Goals/Agenda 2030,” noted Chaudhri. “Yet, partnerships are often loosely defined, fraught with tensions, and come with ambiguity about evaluating impact. We are now working to further develop this line of enquiry.”
The book is available for pre-order via Routledge.com