| Review of: | The Disparity of European Integration: Revisiting Neofunctionalism in Honour of Ernst B. Haas edited by T. Börzel |
|---|---|
| Reviewed By: | Constantin Stefanou |
| Reviewed in: | Journal of Common Market Studies |
| Date accepted online: | 02/11/2007 |
| Published in print: | Volume 45, Issue 2, Pages 515-533 |
Book Reviews
This edited volume in honour of Ernst Haas is the mere reprinting and repackaging of the excellent special issue of the
Tanya Börzel's chapter examines the disparities of integration and notes that neofunctionalism does not distinguish between the level and scope of integration. Ben Rosamond's contribution provides the basics by tracing the evolution of neo-functionalism, while Philippe Schmitter's chapter reconstructs the core hypotheses of neofunctionalism and points out some of the developments that challenged its explanatory power. Henry Farell and Adrienne Hértier look at the causal mechanisms that drive further integration and identify endogenous institutional changes as the main influence. Thomas Risse uses a social constructivist approach to argue that the territorial structure of Member States (i.e. unitary or federal) strongly correlates with their preference towards supranational decision-making, with federal states being more ready and willing to give up sovereignty. Gráinne de Búrca notes that the role of law in political integration is often neglected and offers five ways in which law affects the process of integration. Walter Mattli focuses on regional integration in Latin America and notes that Haas' early works offer a reasonable explanation, which should be strengthened by paying attention to institutional leadership. Finally, Andrew Moravcsik proposes that 'the EU does not (or no longer needs to) move forward to consolidate its current benefits' (p. 160). In other words that, irrespective of the validity of specific neofunctionalist hypotheses, the 'European project' has reached its target by meeting concrete functional challenges broadly along the lines proposed by Ernst Haas.
My main criticism of the book is that it did not use this opportunity to include a chapter on neofunctionalism and economic integration, but otherwise this edited book will be immensely helpful to students and scholars of the EU. Despite the fact that, as Schmitter notes, 'Haas had made no contribution to neofunctionalism for over thirty years' (p. 39), the influence of neofunctionalist premises has been visible in countless pieces of scholarly work on European integration. This edited volume is a fitting farewell to Ernst Haas.