European Integration

European Integration

The work that I've decided to reflect upon is the Book Review of Glyn Morgan entitled, "The Nation-state, European (dis)integration, and Political Development", on Stefano Bartolini's book, "Restructuring Europe: Centre formation, System Building, and Political Structuring Between the Nation-State and the European Union." The book basically is discussing the possibility of a European Integration, its significance, its potential problems, and its overall net effect – and in his review Professor Morgan further discussed each of these issues together with his personal interpretations and views.

I have decided to take on this topic for its significance on today's global landscape not only for its political impact, but also for its sociological and economic implications. Also it is a broad topic that is and can be best viewed through the lenses of the lessons of comparative politics. In Morgan's own words, "European integration is a topic that requires major sub-disciplines of political science, such as Comparative Politics." (Morgan, 2005) To understand it one must use his knowledge of (1) Political Culture, (2) Political Economy, (3) State Building and Nation Building, (4) Constitution and legal framework, and (5) Multi-level governance.

The five Questions of European Integration

In Morgan's review he started by looking at the book for the answers to what he called the "Five questions of European Integration." These are: (a) What is European integration? (b) How did European Integration proceed this far? (c) Why support or resist European Integration now? (d) Who can be expected to support or resist European Integration? (e) What is the likely outcome of the process of European Integration?

(a) His first question was "What is European integration?" To answer this he made the distinction between the project of European integration, and the process itself. He said that, "The project of European integration refers to the efforts of intellectuals, political elites, and popular movements to create some form of European polity." While, "The process of European integration refers to the actual step-by-step transformation of Europe's separate nation-states into a more integrated political, legal, and economic system. The product of European integration refers to the current outcome of this process, the political institutions, policies, and practices of the EU itself." (Morgan, 2005) Looking at the book what he found out was that Bartolini was focused of the process of European integration and its current product which is the EU. And it is also in this light that Morgan decided to introduce the term European Disintegration, "for if we focus on the EU," he argued, "what we would find is that it is usually