Regional Integration and the Neo-functionalist Model: The Brexit Narrative

Abstract

The socio-economic and political advantages derived as benefits of the integrative project have been the justification for most integrative initiatives. This has also made regional integration a major phenomenon in international relations, both as a field of study and as a sphere of actual relation. Many theories are paraded in scholarly circles explaining the rationale and process of the integrative project. However, little attention is paid to the fact that, on the continuum of integration, retrogression and disengagement is possible as social realities unfold. Using archival research method, the work examines the relevance of the neo-functional model in explaining recent trends on integration, using Brexit as a case study. It contends that the neo-functionalist model still holds analytical purchase in approximating contemporary trends of integration.