The Role of Youth in National Social Development: Challenges, Opportunities, and Strategic Pathways

Abstract Youth (typically ages 15–24, sometimes extended to 10–24 or under 35 depending on policy context) are central to national social development because they shape a country’s future labor force, civic life, innovation capacity, and community resilience. This narrative review synthesizes ScienceDirect-indexed research on how youth contribute to social development through (i) civic and political engagement, (ii) social capital and community connectedness, (iii) employability and inclusion, and (iv) social entrepreneurship and prosocial action. The literature shows that youth participation strengthens democratic life and community problem-solving when it is meaningful and supported by institutions. Youth civic engagement can be catalyzed by program quality, supportive contexts, and online/offline opportunities, but it can also be constrained by marginalization, weak pathways to influence, and crisis conditions. Social capital is a repeated mechanism: youth networks and community connections predict well-being, help-seeking, and self-sufficiency—particularly for at-risk youth. Major barriers include youth unemployment and NEET risk (not in education, employment, or training), which are associated with social exclusion and longer-term scarring. Strategic pathways emphasized across the evidence include strengthening participatory governance, investing in employability and lifelong learning, expanding high-quality civic/youth development programs, and enabling youth-led social innovation and entrepreneurship. Keywords: youth; social development; civic engagement; social capital; employability; NEET; youth unemployment; volunteering; social entrepreneurship; participation.