The New Intergovernmentalism and the Study of European Integration

Abstract The new intergovernmentalism is a novel theoretical framework for the study of European integration in the post-Maastricht era. European Union activity has increased since 1992 in ways that existing theoretical approaches struggle to explain. Policy deliberation among member state governments, the complicity of supranational actors with the new mechanisms for intergovernmental policy coordination and problems in preference formation are key features of contemporary integration. Transformations in political economy and political representation are central to the understanding of these new dynamics of integration. This chapter puts forward six testable hypotheses that seek to elucidate, explain, and understand the implications of the integration paradox for contemporary EU integration. The six hypotheses are aimed at informing new empirical research about institutional change and the evolution of individual EU policy areas in the post-Maastricht period. They provide the main reference point for the other contributions in this volume.