Theorizing European Integration and the Union as a Political System

The features of the European polity outlined in the introductory chapter have stimulated academic analyses and debates in a variety of ways. In political science, in particular, there is a long tradition of theorizing the creation and evolution of the European institutions, beginning first with the EC (European Community) and, later, the EU and the political system that subsequently emerged. Two core questions underlie these theoretical approaches: first, what explains the dynamics of integration? Second, what are the characteristics of the polity that emerges from this process? Depending on the perspective and objectives of the analysis, scholars conceptualize the EU either as a state-like political order, or as an international organization or regime (for summaries, see Rosamond 2000; Wiener and Dietz 2004; Neyer and Wiener 2011). Whereas the first perspective was primarily launched in comparative politics, the latter was developed in international relations. While the international relations perspective initially dominated the academic debate, the comparative perspective has recently become more influential. Yet, both perspectives are increasingly combined to pose new research questions and to elaborate alternative explanatory approaches.