1. European Integration theories Past and present
Luca Verzichelli
GGCD Ma –

2. History matters
Theories of EI have evolved following historical and political constraints
Between war and peace, a theory was the result of a research of political stability
then.. theories about explaining alternation of success and failure, but within a context of stability
Once that European Integration was finally conceived as a unique example of regional integration, new “pragmatic” theories were emerging on this specific object

3. First moves of European integration Basic chronology
1945: conferences in Yalta and Potsdam
1947: Beginning of European recovery program
1948: Congress of Europe at the Hague
1949: Establishment of the Council of Europe
1950: Shuman Plan
1951: ECSC treaty
1954: Failure of EDC and establishment of WEU
1955: Messina conference and Jean Monnet action committee
1957: Treaty of Rome, establishing Euratom and EEC

4. Meaning(s) of Integration
Before WWI: phenomenon connected to the emergence of “nation/states”
With the emergence of the idea of a international concert, integration as political goal
The notion of Regional integration developed particularly after WWI in the IR literature
The first basic works on European Integration developed in the early sixties:
→ Lindberg: regional integration with strong linkages
→ Haas: actors persuaded to shift loyalties, expectations and political activities
→ Wallace: intense and persistent of diversified interactions among previously autonomous units
Late distinctions:
→ formal vs. informal integration
→ positive vs. negative integration

5. A classification of EI theories
Theory
General theories
Middle-range theories
Discipline
International Relations
Comparative politics/policies
Main
Problem
Dynamics of integration
Nature of the new polity
Explanatory factors of
political/policy processes
Approaches
Functionalism
Realist
Inter-
governmentalism
Institutionalism
Governance
Policy
network
(Mitrany)
Neofunctionalism
(Haas)
Transactionalism
Deutsch
Classic realism
(Hofmann)
Liberal inter-governmentalism
(Moravsick)
Cooperative Federalism (Scharpf)
Historical institutionalism
governance
Multi level
Epistemic communities
Different networks