ABSTRACT
This contribution proposes a conceptual framework for studying the unintended consequences of interregionalism. With some important exceptions, the unintended consequences and broader impact of interregionalism on the socio-political environment are not taken into account in regionalism studies. We argue in this contribution that the unintended effects of interregional policies on the actors involved, on the policies themselves and on their broader environment cannot be analysed by merely evaluating their self-given standards of success and failures. We propose a more fine-grained and contextual analysis to understand these complex interactions involving multiple individual and institutional actors that are driven by various representations, interests and strategies. This contribution thus puts forward a novel framework that goes beyond the deductive and normative tendencies of regionalism studies. Within this framework the concept of unintended consequences serves as a decentring device to address the prevalent EU-centrism in the scholarship and to capture the overlooked interplays of actors, interactions, circumstances and social structures that constitute interregionalism.
