Theoretical Aspects of the Development of European Community Regional Policy

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of the European Community's regional policy sector through a study of three phases of the policy's development. The article argues that this evolution can only be understood with reference to both neofunctionalist and intergovernmental theory. At the heart of the policy sector lies a series of nation‐state level bargains, as predicted by intergovernmental theory. Yet the dynamics highlighted by neofunctionalist theory ‐ functional and political 'spillover' and the lobbying efforts of the European Commission ‐ are also relevant to a consideration of the policy sector. Therefore, rather than perceiving the neofunctional and intergovernmental dynamics as being diametrically opposed, it is argued that 'spillover' and the efforts of the Commission have worked within the context of the national bargaining, and have helped shape the patterns and outcomes of this bargaining. 1995 The Swiss Political Science Review