Evolution of theoretical approaches to the study of economic integration in world science

This article is devoted to an analysis of the evolution of theoretical approaches to the study of economic integration in foreign and domestic scholarship, and to an examination of the substantive transformation of the category of “economic integration” in the context of contemporary geo-economic and geo political changes. The aim of this work is to systematise and critically analyse existing approaches to defining economic integration, to identifyits essential characteristics, and to formulate an author’s own definition that takes into account the current challenges facing the world economy and the strategic nature of integration processes. To achieve this aim, the author employs an interdisciplinary approach that combines methods of historical and comparative analysis of schools of thought, together with a systemic-structural approach to identifying the main features of integration. The paper summarises key approaches to interpreting economic integration in economics, political science and sociology, and identifies stages in the development of domestic and foreign integration theory. On this basis, it establishes the essential characteristics of economic integration, including the regularity of the process, its institutional formalisation, the cumulative logic of its development, its target orientation towards the creation of a single economic space, and its transformation into an instrument of strategic resilience at the current stage of world economic development. In the light of the identified characteristics, the author proposes a definition of economic integration as an institutionally formalised and purposeful process of inter-state interaction that serves not only as a mechanism of economic efficiency but also as an instrument of strategic resilience aimed at strengthen ing the national security and competitive positions of participating countries under conditions of growing global uncertainty. In conclusion, it is argued that further conceptualisation of integration is necessary, taking into account its contemporary forms, which are closely linked to political processes.