- Preface
- New to this edition
- List of figures
- List of boxes
- List of tables
- List of contributors
- List of abbreviations
- Guided Tour of Online Resource Centre
- 1. Introduction
- Part 1 The Historical Context
- 2. The European Union: Establishment and Development
- 3. From the Constitutional Treaty to the Treaty of Lisbon and Beyond
- Part 2 Theories and Conceptual Approaches
- 4. Neo-functionalism
- 5. Intergovernmentalism
- 6. Theorizing the European Union after Integration Theory
- 7. Governance in the European Union
- 8. Europeanization
- Part 3 Institutions and Actors
- 9. The European Commission
- 10. The European Council and the Council of the European Union
- 11. The European Parliament
- 12. The Court of Justice of the European Union
- 13. Interest Groups and the European Union
- Part 4 Policies and Policy-making
- 14. Policy-making in the European Union
- 15. EU External Relations
- 16. Enlargement
- 17. The European Union’s Foreign, Security, and Defence Policies
- 18. The Single Market
- 19. The European Union’s Social Dimension
- 20. The Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice
- 21. Economic and Monetary Union
- 22. The Common Agricultural Policy
- 23. Environmental Policy
- Part 5 Issues and Debates
- 24. Democracy and Legitimacy in the European Union
- 25. Public Opinion and the European Union
- 26. The Euro Crisis and European Integration
- 27. The Future of the EU
- Glossary
- Appendix—Brexit supplement
- Bibliography (Brexit supplement)
- References
- Index
(p. 53) 4. Neo-functionalism
- Chapter:
- (p. 53) 4. Neo-functionalism
- Author(s):
Carsten Strøby Jensen
- DOI:
- 10.1093/hepl/9780198708933.003.0004
This chapter examines the main assumptions of neo-functionalism, especially with regards to European integration. The fundamental argument of neo-functionalists is that states are not the only important actors on the international scene. They claim that supranational institutions and non-state actors, such as interest groups and political parties, are the real driving force behind integration efforts. The chapter first provides an overview of the main features of neo-functionalist theory and its historical development since the 1950s before discussing three hypotheses advanced by neo-functionalists: the spillover hypothesis, the elite socialization hypothesis, and the supranational interest group hypothesis. After explaining the concepts of supranationalism and spillover, the chapter considers the main critiques of neo-functionalist theory. It concludes by describing the revival of interest in neo-functionalism and giving some examples that illustrate how today's neo-functionalists differ from those of the 1950s.
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- Preface
- New to this edition
- List of figures
- List of boxes
- List of tables
- List of contributors
- List of abbreviations
- Guided Tour of Online Resource Centre
- 1. Introduction
- Part 1 The Historical Context
- 2. The European Union: Establishment and Development
- 3. From the Constitutional Treaty to the Treaty of Lisbon and Beyond
- Part 2 Theories and Conceptual Approaches
- 4. Neo-functionalism
- 5. Intergovernmentalism
- 6. Theorizing the European Union after Integration Theory
- 7. Governance in the European Union
- 8. Europeanization
- Part 3 Institutions and Actors
- 9. The European Commission
- 10. The European Council and the Council of the European Union
- 11. The European Parliament
- 12. The Court of Justice of the European Union
- 13. Interest Groups and the European Union
- Part 4 Policies and Policy-making
- 14. Policy-making in the European Union
- 15. EU External Relations
- 16. Enlargement
- 17. The European Union’s Foreign, Security, and Defence Policies
- 18. The Single Market
- 19. The European Union’s Social Dimension
- 20. The Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice
- 21. Economic and Monetary Union
- 22. The Common Agricultural Policy
- 23. Environmental Policy
- Part 5 Issues and Debates
- 24. Democracy and Legitimacy in the European Union
- 25. Public Opinion and the European Union
- 26. The Euro Crisis and European Integration
- 27. The Future of the EU
- Glossary
- Appendix—Brexit supplement
- Bibliography (Brexit supplement)
- References
- Index
