ABSTRACT
This chapter synthesizes findings from almost 140 evaluation studies of national service in the United States. It identify similarities, differences, and patterns across this comprehensive group of studies in order to develop contingent generalizations about service, its outcomes, and mediating factors that may enhance the likelihood of the positive outcomes frequently attributed to national service. The most recent national service legislation in the United States - the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 is the latest in a fifty-year line of legislative actions that reflects America's commitment to civic service. The historical evolution of national service suggests increasing popular support for an institutional perspective on service in which the meaning of service lies in its instrumental value. Overall, the field of national service in the United States represents a relatively new area for research. The chapter concludes with reflections about ways to develop a global research agenda on service.
