CSR and Social Marketing: What is the desired role for Universities in fostering Public Policies?

The paper aims to identify the role of Universities in fostering public policies, through the promotion of social responsibility, and the implementation of social marketing initiatives. This innovative approach is particularly interesting since the literature does not cover, until now, the importance of adopting a social responsibility strategy within Universities, in order to foster public policies for development. First, Corporate Social Responsibility should be developed at Universities. For this purpose, an integrative approach that embraces marketing, economic, ecological, and social aspects is proposed, through the design of a strategic action plan, which includes three operational levels: analysis, implementation and assessment. Second, in order to foster the impact of public policies for development, social marketing initiatives should be implemented among institutional and social networks where Universities assume an increasing strategic role.