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"The feasibility study INTPOL has developed a conceptual frame for the analysis of integration processes and research The social integration of individual migrants into the institutions of the receiving society is differentiated from the effects of the social integration on the social structure of the receiving society and effects on the societal integration or cohesion of the receiving society. Social integration is understood as inclusion of indivudial migrants into the core institutions of the receiving society, with structural, cultural, interactive and identificative integration as dimensions of that process." (excerpt)

Examines the political strategies that have led to the continuing integration of the European Union (EU) during the 1980s & 1990s. A prerequisite to these efforts is found in a series of institutional & procedural reforms -- eg, the majority voting procedure, the structure of the resource system, & the Court of Justice -- undertaken within EU institutions in the early 1980s. It is suggested that these reforms led to the passage of the Single European Act, in whose success the strategy of equivalence, the return of a majority voting procedure, & the principle of mutual interests played important roles. These successes, however, were only partly reflected in the Treaty of Maastricht, which has been plagued by a crisis of confidence in the concept of multilateralism & a resurgence of renationalization of policy making. Positive & negative assessments of the new process of complex integration in light of this climate are made. Finally, it is asserted that future integration will take the form of one of two scenarios: either a consolidation of Maastricht, or its quick & sharp revision. D. M. Smith

Are Western Muslims integrating? Can Western Muslims integrate? Over the past 20 years, significant attention has been invested in examinations stimulated by the extensive public commentary addressing such questions. This brief review aims to demystify the examination of Western Muslims' integration in the interest of re-embedding this subject matter in the broader scholarship about immigration and settlement. Within this expanding field of study, Western Muslims can (and should) be examined at the community level, where specific ethno-cultural groups represent but case studies among hundreds of Western Muslim communities that differ in their immigration context, countries of origin, sects, and ethno-cultural backgrounds. Simultaneously, the collection of statistical data should be used to test hypotheses that are developed in studies of such communities. The dialogue between qualitative and quantitative approaches provides research openings to more rigorously push the state of knowledge in this area, and I describe some of these openings below.

Discusses the interaction of multinational corporate integration with regional economic integration within the European Economic Community. Argues that for Europe any systematic analysis of the extent and character of multinational intra-firm trade is lacking. In contrast to the United States, where a good deal of work has been done on intra-firm trade by U.S. multinationals, the only European surveys are those for Swedish multinationals. (AM)

"The chapter gives an overview of classical and contemporary sociological models of immigrant integration, including a critical discussion of potential discontinuities between contemporary migration and migration at the beginning of the twentieth century.; The chapter starts with a critical reflection on the manifold terms used to describe patterns of immigrant settlement. I argue that, from a sociological perspective, the concept of integration is well suited to serve as an overall concept, describing the interrelation between an individual and society, with assimilation being but one empirical possibility.; The review then comprises two parts. The first part discusses the classic models of immigrant integration, including race-relation cycles (R. E. Park as well as E. S. Bogardus), social psychological accounts of changing group membership (R. Taft), as well as the works of Shmuel N. Eisenstadt and Milton M. Gordon. The second part reviews contemporary models of immigrant integration: the modes of incorporation model by Alejandro Portes and Ruben Rumbaut, the theory of segmented assimilation by Alejandro Portes and Min Zhou, as well as the model of intergenerational integration by Hartmut Esser. Contemporary models improve the earlier ones in that they forego linear and deterministic conceptions of the integration process, pay heed to the contextual characteristics, and allow for deducing testable hypothesis. I argue that the model of intergenerational integration, with a general sociological theory of action at its core, may be the most versatile as it is not constructed with reference to a specific geographical or historical context and may be applied even if conditions change." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

ABSTRACTExisting research focuses on the positive returns to operational performance of firms' supply chain integration (SCI) with suppliers, buyers, and customers. We draw on differentiation‐integration duality and contingency theory to suggest that manufacturing firms should seek to achieve both integration through supply chain coordination activities and differentiation through modularity‐based manufacturing practices (MBMP). Using a sample of 261 manufacturing firms, we identify an inverse U‐shaped relationship between SCI and operational performance. Furthermore, we find support for the importance of differentiation‐integration duality as a fit between high levels of SCI and high levels of MBMP results in enhanced operational performance. We find support for a contingency perspective as fit is especially critical at higher levels of environmental uncertainty. Implications for theory, practice, and further research are suggested.

This article argues that Lockwood's piece on social and system integration was quite insightful at the time, but that it failed in correctly solving the issues it raised. More recent versions of the distinction, such as Giddens's and Archer's, are deemed not satisfactory either. Three steps are then taken in order to provide an alternative solution, which tackles the general problem of the relationship between structure and agency. The critical analysis of the notion of `emergent properties', along with those of `structure' and `mechanism', is the groundwork for a discussion of collective causality that substantiates an alternative view which defines social systems as collective subjectivities, including some methodological considerations. A broad notion of realism is upheld in the article.