ABSTRACT
Descriptive evidence on civic service has reached a critical mass, providing a global perspective and suggesting directions for further research. In this chapter, we take stock of the civic service knowledge base, building on the global review in McBride and Sherraden (2004) and the chapters in this book. We offer tentative answers to the questions posed at the beginning of the book regarding an operational definition of civic service and influences on development, performance, and impacts of civic service. We recognize the variation in the function and forms of civic service worldwide and the influences of cultural and social, political, and economic contexts. We outline a theoretical perspective on civic service that offers specific testable hypotheses that may capture differences across service forms and contexts.
