ABSTRACT
In recent years, there has been much interest in civic education internationally. As the number of democratic nations increased in Latin America, Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe, policy makers have focused on how to instill democratic beliefs and values in youth. In older democracies, policy makers have been concerned about how to stimulate youth civic-political engagement. Within Europe, politicians and educators have been interested in developing a European identity. Additionally, interest in civic education has intensi ed as a consequence of globalization; national policy makers want to know how their youth “measure up” to peers in other countries in terms of their knowledge in the civic and political arena, as well as in other areas such as literacy, mathematics, and science. Accompanying this multifaceted interest in civic education and civic-political outcomes has been an increase in political socialization research internationally.
