Corporate social innovation: A systematic literature review

Abstract This paper studies a timely but theoretically underspecified relationship between multinational corporations (MNCs) and the concept of corporate social innovation (CSI), which we argue is the latest and definitive alternative for companies to help solve social problems through innovative procedures and strategies while reaching economic results. Through a systematic literature review, this study selected 89 articles and performed a descriptive and a thematic analysis of the literature to address the following research questions: How has the CSI concept evolved? How is CSI similar to or different from other concepts? The study finds that new paradigms could reinvent institutions as they open new possibilities for solving social problems by giving businesses a new way to innovate while examples are given that are still works in progress but that tomorrow could be the way business is done everywhere.