Learning theory reconsidered: EU integration theories and learning

Abstract

This article introduces this special issue by contextualizing learning theory within European integration studies.There are important empirical and theoretical gaps in the study of European integration which necessitate a greater attention to learning theory.This article deploys a number of conceptual distinctions about learning and non-learning processes, drawing from political science, international relations, public administration and sociological/organizational studies.It traces 'learning' in its political science context and how learning has been inserted into EU integration studies.In relating this evolution, the article examines the conditions that define the type and likelihood of learning and surveys the special issue.The article argues that studying learning in the EU is difficult, but integration requires an understanding of the micro policy processes that learning seeks to address.