DUAL FEDERALISM IN THE UNITED STATES DURING SEMI-PERIPHERAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The development of the US state structure, along with the gradual transformation of the legal system and public administration mechanisms, was driven by the need to create an optimal model of power distribution in the interest of the economy and large corporations, which ultimately contributed to changing the country’s position in the modern world. Analyzing the transformation of American federalism from the perspective of the world-systems approach holds significant scholarly interest, as it clarifies the reasons behind shifts in federal and state powers following the Civil War. Purposes: to identify the patterns of change in the scope of authority between the federal government and the states, including within the economic sphere, as the United States moved along the “core-periphery” axis of the modern world-economy following the Civil War, as well as to examine the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in shaping the model of dual federalism. Methods: world-systems analysis allowed for identifying the conceptual link between the strengthening of federal authority and state economic interests; the historical-legal method was used to study the evolution of federal relations, while the comparative legal method enabled a comparison of the scope of federal and state powers before and after the Civil War. Results: the United States has evolved from a confederation with absolute state autonomy into a centralized state characterized by a developed system of dual federalism. When viewed through the lens of world-systems analysis, a clear pattern emerges: the centralization of authority within the federal government correlates with the country’s ascent along the “core-periphery” axis of the capitalist world-system. The necessity of transferring economic and social regulatory powers to the federal government was driven by large-scale capital’s demand for uniform legal regulation, the protection of goods in both national and foreign markets, stimulating the migration of skilled labor, and safeguarding monopolies. Throughout this process, the Supreme Court maintained a contradictory position, preserving a relative balance of powers. Nevertheless, by the end of the 19^th century, the judicial system also came to support the centralization of power in the sphere of economic relations.