Recent Developments in Integration Theory: Challenges of Post-Functionalism to Traditional Integration Theories
Author: Yun-chen Lai
Abstract / Chinese PDF Download
Since the beginning of the regional integration of Europe in the 1950s, scholars have developed numerous theories to explain European integration. The most discussed theories are neo-functionalism and intergovermentalism. Neo-functionalists state that the spillover effects brought about by successful cooperation causes integration to become enlarged and expanded, while intergovernmentalists argue that the construction of international regimes requires the consent of national states. The debate between neo-functionalism and intergovernmentalism has been mainstream in EU studies. However, traditional integration theories provide poor explanations for the new political phenomenon in Europe. Politicization and identity constrain the development of European integration. To explain the new political phenomenon, Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks proposed a new integration theory, i.e., post-functionalism. Post-functionalism integrates identity, which is the emphasis of post-positivism,into functionalist viewpoints that originated from positivism. Thus, it provides a new perspective for observing European integration.