Bringing the State Back In to Civic Engagement: Policy Feedback Effects of the G.I. Bill for World War II Veterans

• Published in: The American political science review Vol. 96; no. 2; pp. 351 - 365
• Main Author: Mettler, Suzanne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.06.2002
• Subjects: Aid; Beneficiaries; Benefits; Bills; Citizen Participation; Citizens; Citizenship; Civic education; Civics; Civil society; College students; Community associations; Community Organizations; Community Relations; Education; Educational Benefits; Educational Programs; Feedback; Finance; Governance; Government and politics; Government policy; Government Role; Higher education; Job Training; Learning; Legislation; On the Job Training; Participation; Political activism; Political activities; Political activity; Political behavior; Political Participation; Political science; Political systems; Politics; Program Administration; Public life; Public policy; Social Capital; Social Mobility; Social policy; Social security; Society; Socioeconomics; Standard of living; State-society relations; Studies; U.S.A; United States; United States of America; Veterans; Vocational Education; War; World War II; World War Two; World wars
• ISSN: 0003-0554; 1537-5943
• DOI: 10.1017/S0003055402000217

American civic engagement soared in the mid-twentieth century, succeeding an era in which national government had become more involved in citizens' lives than ever before. I examine the effects of the G.I. Bill's educational provisions for veterans' subsequent memberships in civic organizations and political activity. I consider theoretical arguments about how public social programs might affect civic involvement and advance a policy feedback approach that assesses both resource and interpretive effects of policy design. Newly collected survey and interview data permit the examination of several hypotheses. The analysis reveals that the G.I. Bill produced increased levels of participation—by more fully incorporating citizens, especially those from less privileged backgrounds, through enhancement of their civic capacity and predisposition for involvement. The theoretical framework offered here can be used to evaluate how other public programs affect citizens' participation in public life.