Integration Theory and The study of the European Policy Process - Cram.

European Union Policy & Policy making - Richardson

Wallace

Moravschik.

Cram.

Recent constitutional developments.

1. new momentum since SEA and the Maast. Treaty.

 2. In run up to SEA Euro commission - played a crucial part as a policy engineer.

 3. Transnational industry coalition helped the Commission to persuade an important  coalition of national governments as to the benefits of market unification.

4. European business elites, these can be seen as agenda setting for the 1992 project, in mobilizing support, and in overseeing its implementation.

5. 1992 �international and domestic situation provided a setting in which the commission could exercise policy entrepeneurship, mobilizing a transnational coalition in favor of the unified internal market�.

6. It is argued that the interstate bargains between UK, France and Germany were the key determinants of the negotiation of the SEA, moreover the bargains struck represented the �lowest common denominator solution� achievable only when there was a convergence of national interests.

7. More recently, Sandholtz (93) has criticized the presentation of the debate about EU integration as a dichotomy between intergovernmentalism and institutionalist approaches. Although decisions are taken in Intergov�t institutions (and therefore analysis of intergov�t bargaining processes is important) the preferences on the basis of which National Gov�ts influence EU policies �are themselves influenced by EC institutions and Law�.

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Richardson - EU policy& policy making.

Federalism - end product.

- potential solution to conflict was a European federation of nations.

-Championed by Jean Monnet, Walter Hallstein & alterio Spinelli.

- Hodges - more a strategy for fulfilling a common purpose and common needs than a theory for explaining hoow these integrative forces arise.

Transactional / Commuinications school - background conditions.

-Conditions deemed need to align for political integration.

- these conditions are only needed for mutual transactions (trade, travel, telecommunications). For example if Country A has Steel, but no Food, and B has food, but no steel - it makes sense for them to trade some of each good, and each would begin to develop organisations to facilitate this. However this will not develop mutual responsiveness. (sense of community.)

- mutually responsive transactions result from a complex learning process from which emerge - shared symbols, indentities, habits of cooperation, memories, values and norms.

-Does not specify any institutional structure, but �a historical process of social learning in which individuals learn to become a people�.

Functionalism

- David Mitrany - A working peace system.

- Universal system, oposed to nationalism and territorial alliances/organisations of power.

-Difference between political/constitutional cooperation (high politics?) and technical/functional coperation. Technical cooperation tends to occur where little national self-interest is involved, and the action is beat taken collectively (Low politics).

- Organisation, technical self-determination, the function of the will decide on the best organisation to achieve it.

- Relevant to the ECSC, technical, sector specific integration avoiding political debate about national sovereignty. However Schuman & Monnet did not envisage the universal dissolution of territorial authority that Mitrany desired.

- Its hard to draw a line between technical/ functional issues & political/ constituional issues.

Neo- Functionalism. (process of integration.)

-Ecsc to EEC & Euratom.

-Political Spillover - convergence of the expectations and interests of the national elites in response to the activites of the supernatural organisation. This leads to a transfer of loyalties (poss +, poss -) CAP? -functional/ technical spillover.

Haas - technical spillover can only take place if the task assigned is inherently expansive - for example Coal - Steel - manufacturing etc.

Realist Intergovernmental.

- Actors only work together to achieve real goals.

-Any power balance is always shifting & any co-operation would be only temporary to achieve these goals.

- Hoffman disagrees - international environment & the role which national governments play witrhin the global system.

- Regional politics are less important than national ones.

- �nation states more obstinate, than obsolete.�

Recent Developments.

-Relaunch with SEA, a renewed momentum for integration.

- Keeler - new debates parallel the old.

- Sandholtz & Zymann - domestic politics approach & recognise the vitsl catalytic role played by the things in the international environment.

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William Wallace (ed.) (1990) The Dynamics of European Integration London: Royal Institute of International Affairs  chapter 1

- Short history about the failure of the theorists of integration

-problems to define the term "integration" (K.Deutsch) (p.9)

-suggestion by Wallace: political integration as catch all phrase, including economics and social areas

-functionalists vs. federalists

-two different types of formal integration (p. 11)

-responsive: adjust regulations for economic and  social areas with intergovernmental co-operation (p. 11)

-proactive: redirect informal flows in regulated pattern for example technology like European Space Agency

-Problems to identify boundaries of Europe (geographical, social, religious etc.)

-a core Europe with the usual suspects (B, N, LUX, I, F, G)

-and common interests and common values  exchanges (economic and cultural)

-Integration: "It is more useful to think in terms of a continuum than of a sharp divide, between intergovernmental co-operation among sovereign states and subordination within supranational political system" (Wallace 1990: 19)

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