Corporate social investment is predominantly represented as a voluntary activity, under the banner of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda. Good practice suggests that companies should endeavour to align their social investments with government development priorities and look to partner with governments and other development actors. 

Our analysis of emerging trends in the global oil and gas and mining sectors suggests that this traditional view of corporate social investment is in need of re-thinking. Until recently governments have generally been more focused on regulating company performance in the environmental, rather than social, domain, but this is starting to change.