INTERNATIONAL INTEGRATION OR INTERNAL POLITICS - ANATOMY OF A SINGLE MARKET MEASURE

The question of who is responsible for integrative outcomes has bedevi lled scholars since the creation of the European Coal and Steel Commun ity in 1952. Theories of integration from international relations focu s on the influence of the state, and how that may be eroded by non-gov ernmental and supranational actors. Comparativists, on the other hand, have applied lessons from domestic politics to the integration proces s. This is an attempt to bridge the two through a detailed case study of one Single Market measure: the first stage of a Common Shipping Pol icy (CSP). Shipping, while extremely important economically, is a rela tively obscure sector politically. Pressure groups, therefore, are imp ortant sources of motivation for both Member States and the supranatio nal institutions. A number of independent variables leading to agreeme nt on the policy are spelled out, and a tentative hypothesis is offere d to explain the conditions under which interstate cleavages are super seded by inter-group cleavages, leading to the sort of bargaining one sees in a domestic polity.