Functionalism (Integration)
Functionalism (Integration)

Introduction
International integration refers to the process by which supranational institutions come to replace national ones- the gradual shifting upward of sovereignty from the state to regional or global structures.
Functionalism is a theory of International Relations that arose during the inter-War period principally from the strong concern about the obsolescence of the State as a form of social organization. Functionalism is a doctrine that looks at organizations in terms of their function; also, it focuses on the way individuals and groups work together. Functionalists focus on common interests and needs shared by states (but also by non-state actors) in a process of global integration triggered by the erosion of state sovereignty and the increasing weight of knowledge and hence of scientists and experts in the process of policy-making. Functionalism proposed to build a form of authority based in functions and needs, which linked authority with needs, scientific knowledge, expertise and technology, i.e. it provided a supraterritorial concept of authority. The functionalist approach excludes and refutes the idea of state power and political influence (realist approach) in interpreting the cause for such proliferation of international organizations during the inter-war (which was characterized by nation-state conflict) and the subsequent years. Definition “International integration is a process by which countries remove the barriers to free trade and the free movement of people across national borders, with the goal of reducing the tensions that can lead to international conflict”. Or
International integration can be defined as:
“ It is the process by which supranational institutions come to replace