Civic Service in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: From Mandatory Public Work Toward Civic Service

Abstract

This article tries to take an initial step toward developing a systematic body of knowledge on civic service in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It seeks to identify those elements of the cultural and historical background and the present social, political, and economic challenges that have a significant effect on the development of service programs. Based on the available anecdotal and research information, the article gives an overview of civic services, their goals, actual forms, predominant types, and institutional background. Motivations, sociodemographic characteristics, and social embeddedness of the participants of service programs are also discussed. The final part of the article offers a list of possible research approaches and projects that would be necessary to understand all aspects of this complex and heterogeneous set of interactions.

Civil liberties and Volunteering in Six Former Soviet Union Countries

“…Conceptually we focused on formal volunteering; that is, volunteer work in an organizational setting. Although the organizational setting is more directly affected by macro-institutional development within the post-Communist context and so provides a good basis to examine the relationships between governance and voluntary work; voluntary work also frequently takes place outside such formalized settings (Kuti, 2004). This is an area that requires further examination.…”

“…First, during the Soviet period voluntary work was compulsory. In turn post-Soviet citizens have often asserted their right not to volunteer (Kuti, 2004). In so doing they failed to join the myriad of nonprofit organizations and other civil society groups that splintered across the FSU when the Soviet Union to an end (Crotty, 2006).…”

Happy to Help? Exploring the Factors Associated with Variations in Rates of Volunteering Across Europe

“…Considering that all of the countries with a low frequency of volunteering are located in Eastern Europe and share a common historical background shaped by years of enforced volunteering behavior before the collapse of the Soviet Union (Kuti, 2004), it is likely that these macro-level factors play a more significant role than individual characteristics and cultural values. Annheier and Salamon argue that in many former socialist Eastern European countries the "concept of volunteering became obsolete" because of party requirements to volunteer time and effort for social, cultural and political causes (Anheier & Salamon, 1999, p.44).…”

Understanding non-participation: perceived barriers in cross-border volunteering among Romanian youth

“…According to Kuti (2004), there are differences between the third sectors in countries of the former communist block, which indicate that there are other factors in history (besides communism) that now have an impact. And, obviously, one needs to consider that the totalitarian regime was not homogeneous across the region.…”