Elana Wilson Rowe

Local perceptions of corporate social responsibility for Arctic petroleum in the Barents region

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is promoted and critiqued by many players involved in or opposed to petroleum exploration and extraction, although a common understanding of CSR’s theoretical and practical meanings rarely exists. This paper uses Arctic petroleum in the Barents region (Norway and Russia) to investigate local perceptions of CSR. We conducted open-ended, semi-structured interviews in four locations: Hammerfest, Murmansk, Komi Republic, and Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO). Interviewees included the local population, regional and local authorities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and petroleum company representatives. The field research suggests that those who gain directly from the petroleum industry and do not directly experience negative impacts were more inclined to be positive about the industry, although overall, general support for petroleum activity was high. In some cases, positive economic benefits resulted in greater tolerance of environmental risk. Sometimes, the industry and government were criticised by locals for failing to support a more equitable distribution of broader economic benefits. Rather than splitting along for-profit/NGO or indigenous/non-indigenous lines, our analysis suggests that those who are closer to the petroleum industry or its benefits, termed ‘insiders’, tend to be more positive than ‘outsiders’. This study is perhaps the first of its kind in its focus on local perceptions of CSR for Arctic petroleum across the Barents region. The findings of this study not only match with that of the previous literature on Arctic petroleum but also provide further practical and theoretical insights by indicating subtleties and nuances within the localities examined. (Published: November 2016)

Commentary: Indigenous peoples are safeguarding Arctic cooperation

At the recently concluded Arctic Circle Assembly held in Reykjavik, representatives from Arctic states underlined time and again the achievement of continuing cooperation under the Arctic Council and on shared Arctic issues more broadly. An advisor working on US Arctic policy suggested that we need to ‘shine a light’ on the success of Arctic cooperation as an example of peaceful cooperation in a complicated world. Likewise, a high-level representative from Alaska underlined the pressing importance of continued cooperation with Russia, noting that the two countries at their outermost points are only 2.5 miles (3.8 km) apart. This was a striking juxtaposition to the news about angry chaos in the UN Security Council over Syria and the Obama Administration’s decision to formally accuse the Russian government of stealing and disclosing emails from the Democratic National Committee in an attempt to influence the presidential elections...

The Arctic in Moscow

Urban areas in Arctic Russia are experiencing unprecedented social and ecological change. This collection outlines the key challenges that city managers will face in navigating this shifting political, economic, social, and environmental terrain. In particular, the volume examines how energy production drives a boom-bust cycle in the Arctic economy, explores how migrants from Muslim cultures are reshaping the social fabric of northern cities, and provides a detailed analysis of climate change and its impact on urban and industrial infrastructure.

Future imperfect?

Корпоративная социальная ответственность (CSR) и арктическая нефтегазодобыча: оп...

Corporate Social Responsibility

This issue of the RAD features three articles that focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR), particularly as it applies to the petroleum and gas industries in Russia. The first article describes the attitudes towards CSR by MBA students currently sponsored by the main oil and gas companies in the country. (Their views are seemingly shaped by a mixture of “Soviet” thinking, the tax evasion practiced in the 1990s, the current socio-political situation in Russia, and Western attitudes towards CSR.) The second article then compares the perception of petroleum-related CSR in Murmansk Oblast, where a large gas project was put on indefinite hold in 2012, with those of Nenets Autonomous Okrug, which has many decades of experience with petroleum initiatives. The last article uses economic research findings and ethnographic field results to determine how the people in the Komi Republic view the economic, environmental and social effects of local oil and gas projects.