In this Book

  • The Politics and Civics of National Service: Lessons from the Civilian Conservation Corps, VISTA, and AmeriCorps
  • Book
  • Melissa Bass
  • 2013
  • Published by: Brookings Institution Press
buy this book Buy This Book in Print
summary

In 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt created America's first domestic national service program: the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). As part of this program—the largest and most highly esteemed of its kind—nearly three million unemployed men worked to rehabilitate, protect, and build the nation's natural resources. It demonstrated what citizens and government could accomplish together. Yet despite its success, the CCC was short lived. While more controversial programs such as President Johnson's Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) and President Clinton's AmeriCorps survived, why did CCC die? And why—given the hard-won continuation and expansion of AmeriCorps—is national service an option for fewer Americans today than at its start nearly eighty years ago?

In The Politics and Civics of National Service, Melissa Bass focuses on the history, current relevance, and impact of domestic civilian national service. She explains why such service has yet to be deeply institutionalized in the United States; while military and higher education have solidified their roles as American institutions, civilian national service is still not recognized as a long-term policy option. Bass argues that only by examining these programs over time can we understand national service's successes and limitations, both in terms of its political support and its civics lessons.

The Politics and Civics of National Service furthers our understanding of American political development by comparing programs founded during three distinct political eras—the New Deal, theGreat Society, and the early Clinton years—and tracing them over time. To a remarkable extent, the CCC, VISTA, and AmeriCorps reflect the policymaking ethos and political controversies of their times, illuminating principles that hold well beyond the field of national service. By emphasizing these programs' effects on citizenship and civic engagement, The Politics and Civics of National Service deepens our understanding of how governmental programs can act as "public policy for democracy."

Table of Contents

restricted access Download Full Book
  1. Front Cover
  2. p. 1
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Inside Flap
  2. pp. 2-5
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Title Page
  2. p. 6
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Copyright Information
  2. pp. 7-9
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Table of Contents
  2. pp. vii-viii
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Preface
  2. pp. ix-xii
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 1. Introduction: National Service as Public Policy for Democracy
  2. pp. 1-10
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 2. Citizenship and the Elements of Policy Design
  2. pp. 11-34
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part One: The Civilian Conservation Corps
  2. pp. 35-36
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 3. The CCC's Roots and Relationships
  2. pp. 37-41
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 4. The CCC's Purpose and Government's Role
  2. pp. 42-55
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 5. The CCC's Tools, Rules, and Targets
  2. pp. 56-78
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part Two: Volunteers in Service to America
  2. pp. 79-80
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 6. VISTA's Roots and Relationships
  2. pp. 81-87
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 7. VISTA's Purpose and Government's Role
  2. pp. 88-113
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 8. VISTA's Tools, Rules, and Targets
  2. pp. 114-146
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part Three: AmeriCorps
  2. pp. 147-148
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 9. AmeriCorps's Roots and Relationships
  2. pp. 149-159
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 10. AmeriCorps's Purpose and Government's Role
  2. pp. 160-195
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 11. AmeriCorps's Tools, Rules, and Targets
  2. pp. 196-226
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part Four: Conclusion
  2. pp. 227-228
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 12. Making Sense of the Past and Its Lessons for the Future
  2. pp. 229-248
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Notes
  2. pp. 249-294
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Index
  2. pp. 295-304
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Back Cover
  2. p. 322
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
Back To Top

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.