National Service in America: Policy (Dis)Connections Over Time

While the proximate causes of AmeriCorps’ current troubles can be found in a complex array of administrative practices and budget decisions unique to the program itself, the larger question of why the program, after 10 years, is still struggling to be institutionalized can only be answered by looking at the history of national service programs more broadly. While all very different, America’s main domestic civilian national service programs – AmeriCorps, VISTA, and the Civilian Conservation Corps – all have faced similar obstacles. Underlying the author's analysis is an argument that national service makes a number of unique contributions to citizenship and civic engagement and as a result should be strengthened and expanded.