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International Integration or Internal Politics? Anatomy of a Single Market Measure
Author(s) -
ASPINWALL MARK
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
jcms: journal of common market studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.54
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1468-5965
pISSN - 0021-9886
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-5965.1995.tb00547.x
Subject(s) - polity , politics , domestic market , proposition , state (computer science) , international relations , political economy , political science , economics , economic system , market economy , international trade , law , epistemology , philosophy , algorithm , computer science
The question of who is responsible for integrative outcomes has bedevilled scholars since the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952. Theories of integration from international relations focus on the influence of the state, and how that may be eroded by non‐governmental and supranational actors. Comparatives, on the other hand, have applied lessons from domestic politics to the integration process. This is an attempt to bridge the two through a detailed case study of one Single Market measure: the first stage of a Common Shipping Policy (CSP). Shipping, while extremely important economically, is a relatively obscure sector politically. Pressure groups, therefore, are important sources of motivation for both Member States and the supranational institutions. A number of independent variables leading to agreement on the policy are spelled out, and a tentative hypothesis is offered to explain the conditions under which interstate cleavages are superseded by inter‐group cleavages, leading to the sort of bargaining one sees in a domestic polity.