- published: 02 Jul 2013
- views: 3936258
Intergovernmentalism is a political science term with multiple meanings. The first referes to a theory of regional integration originally proposed by Stanley Hoffman. The second treats states and the national government as the primary factors for integration.
Hoffman's theory suggested that national governments control the level and speed of European integration. Any increase in power at the supranational level, he argued, results from a direct decision by governments. He believed that integration, driven by national governments, often flowed from domestic political and economic issues. The theory rejected the concept of spill-over that neofunctionalism proposed. It also rejected the idea that supranational organisations are on an equal level (in terms of political influence) to national governments.
Intergovernmentalism treats states, and national governments in particular, as the primary actors in the integration process. Intergovernmentalist approaches claim to be able to explain both periods of radical change in the European Union (because of converging governmental preferences) and periods of inertia (due to diverging national interests). Intergovernmentalism is distinguishable from realism and neorealism because of its recognition of both the significance of institutionalisation in international politics and the impact of domestic politics upon governmental preferences.
The European Union Explained*
Andrew Moravcsik, Enlargement and Europe’s Global Power
Supranationalism: The European Union
EU Supranational Governance vs. Intergovernmental Cooperation
Europe: From WWII To Today's European Union
Supranationalism
How to Pronounce Intergovernmentalism
Liberal Theory - International Relations (#2)
Quo Vadis EU 2011-2012 Webinar II
Quo Vadis EU 2012-2013 Webinar II
Speaker Series in Democratization and Rule of Law with Shpend Ahmeti
Penny Stocks / Advice On Penny Stocks
Nigel Farage, UKIP MEP, interviewed by Alex Jones of Infowars.com on PrisonPlanet.TV 1/5
Nigel Farage, UKIP MEP, interviewed by Alex Jones of Infowars.com on PrisonPlanet.TV 2/5