Extent of corporate social responsibility reporting: India's transition from voluntary to mandatory regime

Abstract

The present paper is the first ever attempt that studies the transition of CSR disclosure practices in India from the voluntary to the mandatory regime. The study compares the CSR practices of Indian companies during the years 2013-2014 and 2015-2016; the former representing the voluntary regime of CSR while the latter representing its mandatory regime. Based on the CSR index given by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, the paper uses content analysis to collect the data on CSR parameters. The results show that the extent of CSR reporting has significantly gone up over the two points of time, thus supporting the institutional theory of CSR, evident also from the fact that even the expenditure incurred by companies in two different environmental conditions is appreciatively enhanced. The paper makes a plea to emphasise that there is greater need of stringent penalties for those non-implementers who do not adhere to the practice of CSR.