CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN LESS DEVELOPED LOCAL COMMUNITIES OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

Sa？etak The topic of this paper is the role of CSR in society, primarily in local communities in which the development index is below the Croatian average. Most of these communities are located in the central and eastern parts of the country, especially along the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. These are poor communities whose economic, demographic and social situations are significantly worse and more complex than in the rest of Croatia. This situation is due to various factors: from war and socioeconomic to geographical. For several years now, the border area with Serbia, and more recently the border area with Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been under the influence of the migrant crisis, i.e. significant pressure from illegal border crossings outside of official border crossings. Migrants and refugees attempt to enter Croatia from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then reach Slovenia, which is a Schengen member country, to continue to their desired destination without hindrance. The arrival of a large number of immigrants and increased surveillance of the state border in order to combat human trafficking requires the presence of more police. All this disturbs the local population and further slows down cross-border traffic and economic prosperity. For the locals of underdeveloped parts of Croatia, in the face of globalization and its economic and social consequences, the fundamental question is how to stimulate economic development, strengthen disadvantaged parts of the community and mitigate differences compared to developed areas. Encouraging and developing activities in the community, with the aim of revitalization and balanced development, improving the quality of life and the economic situation, albeit insufficiently, are being pursued by companies and government, local government and self-government, as well as civic initiatives and associations