This cross-country study investigates the antecedents and outcomes of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. Based on institutional theory and stakeholder theory, we conducted an empirical study among 519 firms in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. We found evidence that supports a significant positive relationship between stakeholder pressures, CSR practices, and business outcomes in the total sample. While our data reveals similarities between the three countries, differences in some areas can be observed as well. Implications for institutional theory and for CSR are derived.