The ambivalence of US federalism under the Biden Administration: between the “Third Reconstruction” and new challenges by the States to cooperative federalism in an era of political polarization

Abstract

L’ambivalenza del federalismo americano sotto l’amministrazione Biden: fra “Third Reconstruction” e nuove sfide dagli Stati al federalismo cooperativo in un’era di polarizzazione politica. – The current status of American federalism under Biden’s Presidency is characterized by bi-directional and ambivalent trend of the system of federal relations. On one side federalism has taken on the guise of a renewed instrument designed to launch a “Third Reconstruction” based on centralization and control by the Federal Government of public policies (as in the case of policies designed to combat the SARS-COVID 19 emergency); on the other hand, the same evolution of the federal system has been characterized by a significant growth of political and institutional conflicts between the Federal government and the States, as an expression of concurrent tendency to polarization of the political party system and of political arena.