This research takes the utilitarian view of volunteering as a starting point; for a student population we posit that volunteering is motivated for career enhancing and job prospects. In those countries where volunteering signals positive characteristics of students and helps advance their careers, we hypothesize that their volunteer participation will be higher. Furthermore, regardless of the signaling value of volunteering, those students who volunteer for utilitarian reasons will be more likely to volunteer but will exhibit less timeintensive volunteering. Using survey data from 12 countries (n=9,482) we examine our hypotheses related to motivations to volunteer, volunteer participation, and country differences. Findings suggest that students

In the last two decades knowledge on volunteering has significantly expanded, but a thorough understanding of the organizational socialization of volunteers is still lacking: the process through which one learns the job, internalizes organizational values and goals, and becomes an effective and involved volunteer. By performing an ethnographic study with Israeli volunteers working for at-risk youth, the organizational process was portrayed. The Volunteering Stages and Transitions Model (VSTM) presented in this article indicates five different phases in volunteers' socialization (nominee, newcomer, emotional involvement, established volunteering and retiring). The importance of the model lies in the way it explains transitions between the phases and details the process, experiences, and emotions involved in each phase. The transformation is reflected in different aspects related to volunteer work: activity and training; emotions and perceptions; attitudes and behavior; perceived benefits and costs; and relationships with the organization, peers and recipients.

Volunteering is perceived as important for creating social capital and civil society, and therefore has become a fundamental part of social policies across most Western countries. In this article, we examine the involvement of governments, corporations and educational institutes in encouraging volunteering, and pinpoint their role in developing volunteering circles. Based on essential concepts presented here (volunteerability and recruitability), we develop the third-party model, and show how third parties get involved. We identify new ways in which these parties can enhance volunteering, and discuss their impact on volunteerability and recruitability. The potential negative impacts of volunteerism and ways in which these can be ameliorated are also acknowledged. Finally, issues that arise due to such involvement are also discussed, thereby offering an important contribution to social policy research in the area of volunteerism.

Although volunteering is the most organized and formal manner of altruism, the two subjects are rarely connected in literature. In this article reviewed is the egocentric approach that is found in four social disciplines: psychology, sociology, economics and socio‐biology (evolutionism), and the way that studies on altruism are based on Utilitarian philosophy and on the homo economicus perception of man. All of the above have influenced the study of volunteerism: the research questions, the study areas, and the conclusions on the essence of volunteering. We then review a different approach based on Deontological philosophy: the alter‐centric approach, already influencing the study of altruism. New directions of approaching and studying volunteerism are suggested.

This paper, based on Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) data, analyzes the relation between volunteering and well-being among 30,023 Europeans aged 50 and above in 12 countries. There is an overall positive correlation between volunteering and perceived health, life satisfaction, and self-life expectancy and a negative correlation to depression. However, in some countries the correlation is much stronger than in others. RésuméCet article se basant sur les données de SHARE (Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe : Enquête de santé sur les personnes retraitées et âgées en Europe), analyse la relation existante entre le volontariat et le bien-être parmi 30 023 Européens âgés de 50 ans ou plus parmi douze pays. Il existe une corrélation d'ensemble positive entre le volontariat et la santé, la satisfaction de vivre et l'espérance de vie et une corrélation négative due à la dépression. Cependant, dans certains pays la corrélation est beaucoup plus forte que dans d'autres. Zusammenfassung Dieser Artikel basiert auf Data von SHARE (Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe) und analysiert die Beziehung zwischen Freiwilligenarbeit und Wohlbefinden von 30.023 Europäern in 12 Ländern, die 50 Jahre und älter sind. Allgemein gesehen gibt es eine positive Wechselbeziehung zwischen Freiwilligenarbeit und empfundener Gesundheit, Zufriedenheit mit Leben und eigener Lebenserwartung und eine negative Korrelation mit Depression. Allerdings ist in einigen Ländern die Wechselbeziehung bedeutend stärker als in anderen.