“Corporate social responsibility”, an unremittingly contested concept since its inception, has attracted global interest in a progressively integrated world economy. The aim of this study is to explore and critique recent claims of a move towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives by multinational mining corporations (MNMCs). Today, MNMCs are expected to promote and practice CSR for the socio-economic consequences of their activities in host countries. The study will also investigate how (if at all) host-country political and regulatory environments affect CSR initiatives undertaken by MNMCs. Previously, mineral developers merely insured full compliance with host-country environmental regulations. However, there is a growing recognition that full legal compliance is insufficient in meeting society’s demands with regards to mining issues. Thus, mineral developers are increasingly expected to gain a ‘social license to operate’ (SLO) from local communities in order to avoid potentially costly conflict and exposure to social risks. In order to achieve the aim of the study, a comparative-case analysis of the activities of the Anglo-American giant, AngloGold Ashanti in South Africa and Ghana will be employed. Furthermore, by drawing particular attention to CSR and SLO, the study will explore how international norms such as CSR evolve, are appropriated and sometimes operationalized by powerful actors and agents within the international system.