ABSTRACT
The normative power approach (NPA) consists of normative, explanatory, and practical theory in understanding European integration and crises of the European Union (EU). In terms of the normative theory, the NPA works within Critical Social Theory, with its understanding of ideological common sense and immanent critiques of European integration. In the context of perceived global crises such as the environment, the economy, and changing ‘great power’ relations, European communion encourages a broader approach to understanding Europe in a global context. European communion is situated in contemporary debates concerning the legitimacy, form, and role of the EU under conditions of European and global crises. Over the past decade, steady improvements in the availability and quality of data on economic inequality have led to very worrying evidence of the effects of the spread of neoliberal ideology across the world. Neoliberalism is the privatisation of public life, including the deregulation and privatisation of nationalised industries, financial services, welfare state, and government.
