As one of the international leaders in research in civic engagement and service, CSD initiatives seek to understand, inform, test, and expand opportunities for civic engagement and service worldwide.
At CSD, civic engagement is defined as social action that makes a difference at a local, national, or international level. Building houses for Habitat for Humanity, serving on an association’s board, and voting are all examples of civic engagement. Civic service is a particular type of civic engagement, defined as formal volunteering in a structured program. The Peace Corps and AmeriCorps are two well-known examples of civic service programs.
Based on a global assessment of civic engagement and service programs, CSD has identified four broad areas of research:
- In its work on international service, CSD assesses trends and recent growth, conducts impact research on both servers and beneficiaries, and develops best practices.
- CSD's research on national service investigates potential to foster civic engagement and employability for young people.
- CSD's research on service across the life course examines the roles youth service and service by older adults play in social and economic development, citizenship, and skill development.
- In its work on productive aging, CSD seeks to advance international research and policy innovation to actively involve older adults in society through employment, volunteering, caregiving, education, and other productive activities.
In addition, CSD has built research capacity worldwide through its Civic Service Research Fellows program that provided funding and training to a network of scholars and researchers representing over 17 countries.