Contents

The book offers a bold and provocative interpretation of the American federation: the United States simultaneously restrains and liberates its constituent parts. Rhetorically the union promises unity and equality, but in practice federal institutions, economic mechanisms, and political norms impose constraints that sometimes act like a prison for individual states. At the same time different states become fields for experimentation and opportunities to implement alternative models of development — social, economic, and legal. The study combines legal analysis, economic data, and vivid state case studies with contrasting trajectories to show how centralization of power, preemption, interstate competition, and internal inequalities shape real freedom and possibilities. The book is intended for specialists and a broad audience interested in politics, law, and socioeconomics.

Introduction

We can begin with a paradox. A union created as an association of free and equal states gradually builds a system of rules and institutions in which territorial autonomy sometimes increases and sometimes comes under strict control. Metaphorically speaking, one can assert: the United States is a prison for states. This does not mean literal deprivation of liberty, but emphasizes the existence of institutional, economic, and legal constraint