Introduction to "Political Economy of European Integration"

Martin Höpner

 
The transformation of Europe’s production and distribution regimes is inextricably linked to the ongoing deepening of European integration. This research group analyzes European integration from a political economy perspective, focusing on the following issues: (1) the effects of an increasing political-economic heterogeneity on market-enforcing and market-correcting integration projects; (2) the determinants of the partial autonomy of the supranational institutions of the Commission and European Court of Justice; (3) the political-economic conflict structures within the EU and the eurozone; (4) the strategic interplay between national governments, private actors, and EU organizations and institutions; (5) the transformation of European varieties of capitalism and its effects on production, distribution, and democracy; (6) theory formation at the intersection of integration theory and political economy. From a theoretical perspective, the research group is situated at the intersection of several areas of discussion within political economy and sociology, especially the debates on "varieties of capitalism," on regulation theory, on theories of the economy’s political and societal embeddedness, and on theories of regional integration.
 

 
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