We explore different approaches to corporate social responsibility (CSR) behaviors: positivist, post positivist approach (monological to discoursive) and Habermasian.

We introduce how public governance (public and private actors, such as family businesses and business families) contribute to the creation of public value.

We develop a taxonomy of family businesses or business families according to their perceptions of CSR behaviors and explore the potential dynamics among the types.

We identify that the engaged type is the most adapted to the creation of public value because the co-creation of new values and multiple futures is related to the legitimacy of the family business or business family to engage in the political arena, perceived as more legitimate than if “corporations” engaged in these same activities.