Many Americans vividly recall President John F. Kennedy's famous admonition -- "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" -- and the Peace Corps program he founded. President George Bush recognized exemplary acts of selfless civic action with his "Thousand Points of Light" program. President Bill Clinton, who established a program of national service (Americorps), has repeatedly urged young Americans to get involved in their communities. Speaking to graduating students at Pennsylvania State University in May, he said, "With this wonderful precious commodity of a fine education, I hope you will find some way to give back some of what your country has given to you. No matter what you do or how busy you are, there is always a way to serve a larger community."

In this issue we examine contemporary civil society from several perspectives. Robert D. Putnam argues that Americans are no longer as committed to civic action as they once were. Seymour Martin Lipset takes issue with this finding, asserting that Americans remain more active in voluntary associations and more willing to contribute to nongovernmental organizations than citizens of any other country. For an international perspective, Miguel Darcy de Oliveira and Rajesh Tandon report on the amazing proliferation of citizen action groups worldwide; and Randa Slim outlines a method that sustains deliberative forums in many countries, especially in the emerging democracies. Albert Shanker stresses the need for civic education in the building of democracy, and Paul Malamud reports on a relatively new phenomenon, civic journalism.