Service as a Pathway to Political Participation: What Research Tells Us

Abstract

Historically, there has been a rich American tradition connecting service to political engagement. To test whether this pathway remains significant, research on the political outcomes of young people's service participation is reviewed. The author argues that most research operationalizes citizenship as a helping behavior, contributing to a perspective that service is an alternative to politics. The article concludes with a set of recommendations for reinvigorating service to support more robust political participation.