Restructuring Europe: Centre Formation, System Building, and Political Structuring between the Nation State and the European UnionThis book focuses on the historical configuration of the territorial borders and functional boundaries of the European nation state. It presents integration as a process of boundary transcendence, redefinition, shift, and change that fundamentally alters the nature of the European states. Its core concern lies in the relationship between the specific institutional design of the new Brussels centre, the boundary redefinitions that result from its political production, and, finally, the consequences of these two elements on established and developing national European political structures. Integration is examined as a new historical phase in the development of Europe, characterized by a powerful trend toward legal, economic, and cultural de-differentiation after the five-century process of differentiation that led to the European system of nation states. Considering the EU as the formation of an enlarged territorial system, this work recovers some of the classic issues of political modernization theory: Is the EU an attempt at state formation? Is it an attempt at centre formation without nation building? Is it a process of centre formation without democratization? This work also seeks to sharpen the conceptual tools currently available to deal with processes of territorial enlargement and unification. It develops a theoretical framework for political structuring beyond the nation state, capable of linking all aspects of EU integration (inter-governmentalism, definition of rights, the 'constitutionalization' of treaties, the tensions between the new territorial hierarchy and the nation states, etc.). The book adopts an 'holistic' approach to integration, in the form of a theory from which hypotheses can be generated (even if it is not possible to test all of its components). This theoretical framework has three principal aims: to overcome a rigid distinction between domestic politics and international relations; to link actors' orientations, interests, and motivations with macro outcomes; and to relate structural profiles with dynamic processes of change. |
Contents
1 A Theory of Exit Options Boundary Building and Political Structuring | 1 |
the Experience of the NationState | 56 |
3 Centre Formation in the European Union | 116 |
Boundary Building and Boundary Removing | 177 |
Territorial and Corporate Structures | 248 |
Other editions - View all
Restructuring Europe:Centre Formation, System Building, and Political ... Stefano Bartolini No preview available - 2005 |
Restructuring Europe: Centre Formation, System Building and Political ... Stefano Bartolini No preview available - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
action activities actors administrative areas associations authorities become borders boundaries building capacity capital cent central centre citizens collective Commission Community competence competition concerning consolidation constitutional cooperation costs Council countries cultural decisions defined democratization differentiation dimension direct discussed distinction early economic effective electoral elites established Europe European European integration exchange existing exit external Finally formation forms functional goals governments groups historical identity important increase individual institutional integration interest internal interpretation issues Italy legitimacy legitimation less limited membership military mobility nation-state opposition options organizations participation parties political structuring position possible Press principle problems production protection reference regional regulation relations relationship representation represented result role rules social specific Studies tend territorial tion trade Treaty types Union units University voice vote welfare