Barnes & Noble The Micro-Integration of Europe: The Functional Differentiation of Europe through Inter-Regional Learning at Hamilton Place in Chattanooga, TN
The process of European integration is being challenged by the rising heterogeneity of European member states and policies. As a consequence the European Union supports the differentiated deepening of integration through flexible, soft governance instruments which enable cooperation despite heterogeneity. For implementing the European regional policy, regions across Europe voluntarily cooperate in thousands of Interregprojects. Based on a qualitative social network analysis of an Interreg project within the field of the European innovation policy, this work shows that interregional learning and cooperation lead to a differentiated MicroIntegration of Europe. By overcoming the geographical and structural distances between regions, interregional projects function as platforms for functional policy learning between regional policymakers. Based on joint interests functionally differentiated spaces of deeper MicroIntegration are being established throughout Europe.
The process of European integration is being challenged by the rising heterogeneity of European member states and policies. As a consequence the European Union supports the differentiated deepening of integration through flexible, soft governance instruments which enable cooperation despite heterogeneity. For implementing the European regional policy, regions across Europe voluntarily cooperate in thousands of Interregprojects. Based on a qualitative social network analysis of an Interreg project within the field of the European innovation policy, this work shows that interregional learning and cooperation lead to a differentiated MicroIntegration of Europe. By overcoming the geographical and structural distances between regions, interregional projects function as platforms for functional policy learning between regional policymakers. Based on joint interests functionally differentiated spaces of deeper MicroIntegration are being established throughout Europe.
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