Volunteering: A Complex Social Phenomenon

Volunteering is a worldwide phenomenon but most studies of volunteering focus on the developed countries of North America, the Pacific, and Europe. Studies of less developed countries often use theories and concepts borrowed from developed countries, and therefore fail to capture the full range of voluntary helping behaviors. This introductory chapter defines volunteering and examines its relationship to similar constructs such as civil society, social movements, social capital, cooperation, and reciprocity within social networks, citizen participation, service, solidarity, self-help, and mutual assistance. It briefly reviews the literature on why people volunteer, compares rates of volunteering across countries, and analyzes reasons for this variation. It reviews the literature on how volunteering can contribute to development and the role of Northern volunteers in the Global South, and concludes with a summary of each chapter.