(Neo)Functionalism Flashcards
Functionalism
advocates international cooperation on scientific, humanitarian, and social economic issues
Argue that
mutual trust and habits of cooperation can develop through sharing the discrete public sector responsibilities than on sensitive issues
Integration starts with
low profile cooperation and this spills over to the other areas of integration
Functionalism
- aims to world government
- rejects federalism
Neo’Functionalism
- aims to regional government
- willing to accept some federal features
Explains
how and why states collaborate to form supernational institutions
“Spillover effect”
Cooperation in one area can lead to cooperation in related areas
Central to Neo’functionalism is
idea of supernational institutions
Explaining…
How cooperation among states in specific areas can lead to the broader collaboration and creation of supernational governance structures
Start…
Small, focus on practical needs and let cooperation grow
Championed by…
Ernest Hans and others, inspired most remarkable political experiment of our time - European Union
Neo’funcionalism highlights…
The concept of “spillover effect”
Coordination in one sector…
Creates problems that can only be solved by expanding collaboration into others
Another crucial aspect…
Is emphasis on supernational institutions, like European Commission, that plays a central role by meditating disputes, proposing policies and encouraging collaboration
Shines light on…
The non-state actors, businesses, labor unions…
There actors benefit from regional cooperation and often lobby for policies that promote further integration
Criticism-
It’s hopelessly Eurocentric, theory crafted in corridors of Brussels that struggles to explain the dynamics of integration in other parts of the world
Downplays…
The importance of national sovereignty, as many states remain cautious about giving up too much power to supernational entities
Offers-
Compelling narrative of how cooperation can grow organically
It tells us…
That even if the world is divided by borders and differences, there exists potential for unity
We can achieve…
When we work together to solve challenges that bind us all
