ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on international civic service as one example of global cooperation. It explores the character and growth of institutions of international cooperation. The chapter identifies key dimensions of international service, by an analysis of one program, North American Community Service (NACS). With roots in nineteenth-century missionary work and early twentieth-century international peace and postwar reconstruction efforts, international civic service thrives in the contemporary era of globalization. Powerful global economic organizations, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank aim to build market economies and eliminate trade and investment barriers. Global civil society organizations have also flourished since the end of World War II, especially as nation-states and other international organizations have failed to adequately address global problems. The chapter concludes by examines the challenges, possible benefits, and implications of international civic service as an institution of international cooperation.
