Is Mandatory Community Service a Catalyst for Civic Growth or Fruitless Servitude
Evidence from a Natural Experiment in South Korea
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6459546 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hwiyoung P Lee (0009-0007-4624-6195), Ram A Cnaan (0000-0002-1596-4422) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 98-112 |
| Publication date | 2024-11-20 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Voluntas Revista Internacional de Filosofia (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2179-3786 • E-ISSN: 1573-7888 |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11266-024-00695-y |
| OpenAlex | W4404557049 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 35 |
Diminishing civic vitality has been reported in numerous societies, irrespective of democratic maturity. Mandatory community service initiatives in schools have garnered attention as a strategy for fostering long-term civic engagement. However, methodological challenges such as selection bias and observation timing have led to inconsistent empirical results. This study leverages a unique natural experimental context where mandatory community service requirements were nationally implemented in middle and high schools in South Korea. Employing a non-parametric regression-discontinuity design, we provide robust evidence that such programs increase the likelihood of volunteering in adulthood among lower socioeconomic groups. We found no indications that these mandates increase or decrease the propensity for civic engagement among higher socioeconomic groups
Business · Civic culture · Civic engagement · Context (archaeology · Democracy · Demographic economics · Economics · Empirical evidence · Geography · Maturity (psychological · Natural experiment · Political science · Politics · Population · Regression discontinuity design · Service (business · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · Vitality · Demography · Law · Medicine · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Psychology · Social Capital and Networks · Social Media and Politics · Marketing
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |