Neofunctionalism Flashcards
Origins of neofunctionalism
- Based on functionalism: Very first theory in IR that tried to explain the process of international cooperation through international organisations and a way to counter nationalism.
- Focus on shared interests of states (Also a thought of Monnet) and non-state actors in international relations.
- Mitrany (first functionalist) wanted to move beyond nationalism due to the horrors of WWII and nationalism leading to wars.
Mitrany’s/functionalism’s main idea
Do away with nation states and organising government based on functionality along territorial borders. This mismatch occurs between the level of the structure of the problems and the level on which governments act to solve it. This creates pressures for jurisdictional reform. (Think of climate change or security, this is a bigger problem that can’t be done within a state). This integration is achieved by (again think of Monnet, these ideas surfaced in his time) incremental steps in technical policy areas, where citizens can really notice the improvement.
Creation of neofunctionalism
Haas interested in functionalism and applied this to European integration to create neofunctionalism. He was interested in supranationalism as he is jewish and had to flee an oppressive nation state and seeing all this reconstruction in his previous country after the War.
Popularity of neofunctionalism
It was the main theory on EU functioning at the time (50s-60s), because it was the first grand theory on the EU. Because of the stagnation of European integration in the 60s-70s due to the empty chair crisis, the theory faded to the background because it couldn’t explain this. Then it had a revival in the 80s-90s, because of the empirical evidence for the hypotheses and transformative character of the theory and thus its relevance.
Two principles of neofunctionalism
- self-sustainability: once European integration is put in motion, it will lead to more integration.
- Undirectionality: there is one way, and that is forward (als more and never less)
What are the three hypotheses of neofunctionalism
Three hypotheses of neofunctionalism:
1. spillover hypothesis
2. elite socialisation hypothesis
3. interest group hypothesis
Idea behind/definition of spillover hypothesis
You do something with a goal in mind, only to find out that you need to do more or go further (in this case, more policy areas means more effective integration) to achieve this goal. In other words: cooperation in one field, necessitates or creates pressure for cooperation in another (for example from the ECSC to Euratom or from open borders to common migration and asylum policy).
Three types of spillover
- Functional spillover is caused by the practical need for cooperation. For example an industrial policy will lead to the need of a climate policy
- Political spillover is caused by societal actors demanding cooperation, which is usually done by using the argument of functional spillover
- Cultivated spillover is caused by supranational actors demanding cooperation, such as the European Commission.
The distinction between these three are quite blurry
Elite socialisation hypothesis
Means that national elites have to work together and commit to working together on the EU level, causing their loyalties to shift from the national level to the European level. As these politicians and civil servants (elite) engage in this project of EU-integration, they start working together more and more, which causes this loyalty shift. Cooperation becomes the default solution, which means that neofunctionalism assumes a transformation of preferences in EU-integration from an exception to the standard. Therefore, neofunctionalism is also called a transformative theory.
Interest group hypothesis
As supranational institutions gain more authority, interest groups will reorganise at the European level and demand even more integration. They will develop supranational interests due to the supranational reorganisation and will cooperate with these supranational institutions for more integration. This is once again transformative, as it not only transforms what these interest groups are, but also what they think and how they act. This is also based on the principle of political spillover.
Link between spillover, elite socialisation and Europeanisation of interest groups
- Europeanisation of interest groups and political spillover influence each other
- Elite socialisation and cultivated spillover influence each other
- Functional spillover influence political and cultivated spillover
- Political and cultivated spillover lead to integration, so all of this indirectly results in more integration
Assumptions neofunctionalists base their way of thinking on, which are conditions for the correctness of the theory
- Permissive consensus
- Benign elitism
- Integration is positive-sum
- Incrementalism combined with bounded rationality leads to crises
Permissive consensus
Assumption and condition of neofunctionalism. : Citizens will quietly support integration by the elites, because it brings them benefits
Benign elitism
Assumption and condition of neofunctionalism. Elites drive integration and operate in the best interest of the Europeans
Integration is positive-sum
Assumption and condition of neofunctionalism. Integration benefits everyone, there are no winners and losers of this new cooperation
