Economic integration is a value-loaded term that carries the implication that the attainment of economic integration is desirable. Myrdal argues that there is no way of studying social reality other than from the viewpoint of human ideals, and the recognition that our very concepts are value-loaded implies that they cannot be defined except in terms of political valuations. The author notes that these views were also basic to the classical economic doctrine. Therefore, as appropriate terms for the definition of the author’s value premise “international integration,” the classical doctrines must be rejected – but at the same time we must recognize that important elements of theoretical analysis are contained in these doctrines and they remain useful as tools in economic research.
