Research Seminar by Miguel Ángel Sevilla Duro

The shift from multilateralism to bilateralism, exemplified by the growth of supranational economic integrations together with globalisation’s impact on democracy, represents a new paradigm that must be addressed not only from a case-by-case perspective, but also from a general theory perspective.

The PhD research from which this seminar is derived focuses on how Supranational Economic Integrations (SEI) are related with their Member States (MS). Based on the revised Balassa's theoretical construction, it is considered that relations between SEI and MS occur through three formulas that are typical of federal systems: coordination (distribution of competences, intergovernmental relations and articulation of territorial chambers), supra/subordination (primacy of SEI over MS) and participation of MS at the supranational level (in decision-making and treaties amendment processes). The aim of the research is to analyse the way in which these relations occur at the present time, considering the stage each integration is at and its structure, either intergovernmental or supranational.

The research is built on two premises: on the one hand, it is impossible to advance in the integration process if there are no proper relations between SEI and MS; on the other hand, the relations that exist in federal states also seem to exist in SEI, with the important exception that in the latter they are being articulated without taking into account the organisational, institutional and competence reconfiguration that globalisation requires.

After analysing what kind of relations exist between SEI and their MS, and whether the typology of federal states can indeed be extrapolated to categorise them, the research examines whether there is a difference in annual percentage growth rate of intra-regional and extra-regional trade flows depending on the stage SEI are at and the model (supranational or intergovernmental) they follow.

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