Volunteering in Cross-National Perspective: Initial Comparisons

Volunteering has not only become an important issue in the United States; it is also receiving much more attention in many other countries.In many ways, volunteering enjoys greater political and cultural recognition today than it did in past decades.As frequently happens, however, greater awareness seems related to the extent to which an issue is seen as problematic, or as something beneficial that no longer can be taken for granted.The environment, the family, community, and social security are cases in point, and, as we suggest in this article, so is volunteering, particularly when seen from a cross-national perspective.In the past, volunteering was often viewed in isolation from the wider social and cultural context.However, volunteering is much more than simply the giving of time for some particular purpose.In fact, as a cultural and economic phenomenon, volunteering is part of the way societies are organized, how they allocate social responsibilities, and how much engagement and participation they expect from citizens.As discussed below, the role of the state and the nature of state-society relations are important aspects that shape the role of volunteering cross-nationally.Not surprisingly, the fortunes of volunteering as a social institution are, and have been, changing over time, and vary by cultural and political context.The purpose of this article is to shed some initial light on volunteering in different parts of the world by exploring the conceptions and patterns of voluntary action cross-nationally.In some European countries, such as Sweden and Germany, volunteers were, until recently, regarded as amateurish "do-gooders," as relics of the past to be replaced by paid professional staff capable of performing tasks more effectively and efficiently. 1If there was a role for volunteers in the modern welfare state, it was a marginal one at best, that is, to supplement professionally planned and delivered services.What is more, other countries saw no need for volunteers at all.The Japanese government, for example, drew up contingency