European social integration: harmonisation, convergence and single social areas

Article abstract:

The extensive research on European integration so far offers little to explain the effect of EU social policies on integration between Member States. Starting from the premise that there is a parallel process of social integration accompanying developments in political and economic integration, the article defines 'social integration' and uses it as a tool for exploring the effects of EU policy and law from the citizen's perspective. It defines four types of social integration and reviews existing fields of policy regulation in relation to the typology. Then areas are identified where boundaries between Member States have fallen to the extent that citizens can experience living in the EU as if it were a single country, using the term 'single social areas'. Finally, it is argued that the article's approach advances understandings of the European integration process and ways of relating it to integration theory are suggested for further research.