Theoretical Approaches to European Integration (The European Union Series, 78)

"This major new text provides a uniquely broad ranging introduction to, and assessment of the contribution of, the whole range of theoretical approaches that have been applied to the analysis of European integration. It provides tools for understanding the underlying logic behind the political and economic debates that take place in the EU today."-- Publisher website Accounts of European integration abound: intergovernmental and neofunctional theories, Europeanization and governance perspectives, and sociological and institutional approaches are all used to explain why and how the European Union works. It is rare for an academic publication on European integration not to be anchored in a conceptual framework of one kind or another, while claiming to deepen, test, enlarge or reinterpret a theoretical account. Locating approaches within their wider theoretical and 'real-world' contexts, this important new text examines the range of theories that have been applied to the analysis of European integration. Sabine Saurugger argues that only by combining approaches drawn from comparative politics, public policy and international relations can one reach a nuanced understanding of the different aspects of integration. In this sense, the book offers tools for understanding the political and economic debates that take place in the European Union today. Book jacket Cover Contents List of Boxes, Tables and Figures List of Abbreviations Acknowledgements Introduction Part I: Why Integrate? Theories of Integration 1 Original Debates 2 Neofunctionalism 3 Intergovernmentalism Part II: Mainstreaming European Studies 4 Institutionalist Approaches 5 Governance 6 Europeanization and Public Policy Transfer 7 Constructivism(s) 8 Sociological Perspectives on European Integration 9 Political Theory Part III: The European Union and the World 10 International Relations and European Integration. 11 Comparing Forms of Regional Integration: Beyond European StudiesConclusion References Index.