International Service as Alternative Diplomacy

In collaboration with researchers at the University of Ottawa and the University of Technology Sydney, we explore how international volunteers engage in alternative public diplomacy roles characterized by reciprocity, collaboration, mutual learning and ‘reverse diplomacy’. Investigating volunteering as a pathway to more effective foreign aid development policy, this project also includes findings from field research conducted semi-structured interviews with 90 staff members or organizational partners in six partner countries located in the Global South.

Funding Partners: Employment and Social Development Canada, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Principal Investigator

Benjamin Lough

CSD Faculty Director; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Email: bjlough@illinois.edu

Contact

Lissa Johnson

CSD Associate Director; Director of Administration and Research;
Co-Director Financial Capability and Asset Building

• Email: ejohnson@wustl.edu