CHAPTER 4 & 5

THE
SUPRANATIONALISM
AND POWER
 WHAT IS
SUPRANATIONALISM?
A supranational body is one which
exercises jurisdiction not over any
single state but within an international
area comprising several states.
 The The
Romanovs’ Bolsheviks
The Soviet
Union
The British
Empire
• The supranational bodies in most cases,
they merely serve to facilitate
intergovernmental cooperation, allowing
states to work together and perhaps
undertake concerted action but without
sacrificing national independence.
THE INTERGOVERNMENTALISM

Is the weakest form of supranationalism; it encompasses

any form of state interaction which preserves the
independence and sovereignty of each nation.

The most common form of intergovernmentalism is

treaties or alliances, the simplest of which involve bilateral
and multilateral agreements between states.
 FEATURES SUPRANATIONALISM INTERGOVERNMENTALISM

Sovereignty States cede some of their sovereignty to States retain their ultimate sovereignty.
supranational institutions.

Decision-making Supranational institutions have the power Decisions are typically made by consensus.
to make binding decisions on member
states.

Enforcement Supranational institutions have the power Member states are not legally bound to
to enforce their decisions. comply with decisions that they do not
support.

Examples European Union, World Trade Organization United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty
Organization
Federalism involves
the division of law-
making power
between a central
body and a number
of territorial units.
Each level of
government is
allocated a range of
duties, powers and
functions, specified
by some kind of
constitutional
document.
POWER

Power vs. Influence

Concepts of power abound. In
the natural sciences, power is
usually understood as ‘force’
or ‘energy’.

In the social sciences, the

most general concept of
power links it to the ability to

80%
achieve a desired outcome,
sometimes referred to as
power to.
 STEVEN LUKE
• It can involve the ability to
influence the making of decisions.

• It may be reflected in the capacity

to shape the political agenda and
thus prevent decisions being made.

• It may take the form of controlling

people’s thoughts by the
manipulation of their perceptions
and preferences.
 Thomas
Hobbes
The first ‘face’ of power
dates back to Thomas
Hobbes’s suggestion that
power is the ability of
an ‘agent’ to affect the
behaviour of a ‘patient’.

English political philosopher

Is non-decision making a form of power?