A Structural Theory of integration

Abstract

In this article a definition of integration is given, defining integration as a process whereby two or more actors form one new actor. There are many ways in which this may be brought about, and the process may have very different consequences, but conditions and consequences should not be confused with the definition. Three types of integration are then distinguished: territorial, organizational, and associational. These three types can be combined in many ways, and nations can be analyzed in terms of how these processes of integration are combined inside the nation. Corresponding reasoning may be used for the analysis of world integration. The three types of integration are then analyzed in terms of how they satisfy basic human and social needs. It is pointed out that whereas organizational and associational integration are complementary and always will satisfy some human needs, territorial integration depends very much on communication and will tend to disappear with in creasing communication. But organizational integration will lead to crises that can only be alleviated by means of associational integration, and vice versa. Hence, a general world trend of decreasing territorial integration and a pattern of dialectical change from organizational to associational and back again are predicted. The basic problem of a substitute for the decreasingly important territorial integration is then left unanswered.