"Domestic Responses to Integration: A Research Agenda"

Nelsen, Brent F. (1993) "Domestic Responses to Integration: A Research Agenda". In: UNSPECIFIED, Washington, DC. (Unpublished)

Preview

PDF Download (673Kb) | Preview

Abstract

This paper represents an early exploration of a relatively unexplored topic: domestic responses to integration. Specifically, this essay explores several questions concerning the response of domestic interest groups and political parties to intentional attempts to integrate the economies and political systems in Western European countries. The exploration here is part of a larger project comparing domestic responses to integration in Europe and North America. The paper finds that in Western Europe (EC plus EFTA) support for integration centers in the "power elite," an alliance of political (most mainstream parties) and business leaders. Opposition to integration comes from the "red-green-brown alliance," a coalition of socialists, farmers, environmentalists, and right-wing nationalists. Several questions remain concerning the formation of alliances and their interaction with governmental institutions, the public, and each other. Explaining the composition and behavior of these alliances is also a challenge. Supranational theories of integration do not explain the persistence of popular resistance to integration. Intergovernmental theories focus attention on domestic politics, but must be supplemented by political theories of group formation and state-society relations.

Actions (login required)