Introduction: The proper distribution of state versus federal authority affects nearly every policy domain—from environmental regulation to immigration policy—in American politics today. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the subject of federalism received renewed attention as policymakers across different levels of government jockeyed over the “appropriate” policy response and their inherent authority to carry out that response (Fiorina 2023). These recent developments make it even more important to understand how the public views the proper allocation and scope of state versus national power. Is the public’s attitude toward federal authority driven by their normative preferences over centralized or decentralized governance? Or is the public just as “unprincipled” as political elites when it comes to their support for federal power? Moreover, has the public’s experience of the recent COVID-19 pandemic shaped their federalism preferences? And if so, are such attitudinal changes likely to become more permanent fixtures of the American political landscape?
ፍትህ ለሁሉም / Justice for All