Functionalism and the ILO
| Published date | 01 March 1966 |
| Date | 01 March 1966 |
| Author | Torsten Landelius |
| DOI | 10.1177/001083676600100307 |
| Subject Matter | Review Article |
Torsten
Landelius
Functionalism
and
the
ILO
ERNST
B.
HAAS:
Beyond the Nation-State:
Functionalism and International Organiza-
tion. Stanford University Press, 1964.
Mr Haas' book begins with a133 page
section on "Functionalism and
the
Theo-
ry of Integration," which is followed by
286 pages on "Functionalism and
the
International Labor Organization."
The
concluding 70 pages deal with
"The
Utility of Functionalism." Haas' primary
topic is thus "Functionalism" and
the
secondary one the ILO. This review of
his book will, however, be marked by
my greater interest in the secondary
topic.
I
According to Haas, Functionalists, in the
specific sense of
the
term, are "
...
inter-
ested in identifying those aspects of
human
needs and desires
that
exist and
clamor for attention outside the realm
of the political. They believe in the pos-
sibility of specifying technical and 'non-
controversial' aspects of governmental
conduct, and of weaving an ever-spread-
ing web of international institutional
relationships on
the
basis of meeting
such needs. They would concentrate on
commonly experienced needs initially,
expecting
the
circle of the non-contro-
versial to expand at the expense of
the
political, as practical cooperation be-
came conterminous with
the
totality of
interstate relations.
At
that
point a
true
world community will have arisen"
(p.
6).
However, there are different types of
Functionalists, and Haas, in a wordy and
diffuse presentation, devotes a great
deal of space to clarify his
own
position
in this connection. This is probably in-
tended to be read as a contribution to
the internal discussion within this school
of thought. For an outsider, unversed in
the
special terminology used, and
un-
familiar with
the
nature and depth of
the
knowledge which provides the basis
for the school's speculations and evalu-
ations, it is difficult to grasp
what
is
really meant.
The
conceptions one de-
velops from
the
text seem too simple
to justify so large a framework.
The
reader is thus disposed to anticipate im-
patiently the book's main section, in
which
the
author will apply his func-
tional theories to a concrete object.
Haas concludes
the
introductory sec-
tion with a"paradigm of organizational
impact" and a series of "functional
hypotheses", which he intends to apply
in his study of the ILO. In brief, it can
be said
that
his paradigm, as well as his
hypotheses, deal with
the
multitude of
factors and mechanisms which, in-
tentionally or not, operate in favour of
the extension of international organ-
izations', and especially
the
ILO's, scope
of activity, and which contribute to ac-
celeration of the process of international
integration.
In this connection Haas says:
"The
ILO constitutes aparticularly fruitful
case for
the
study of the functional
logic of integration because, uniquely
among
UN
agencies, it provides
for
direct participation by representatives of
voluntary groups."
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