Evolution of the U.S. Federal System and Development of the Welfare State through the Grant-in-aid Mechanism

If we conduct a thorough study on American federalism and the evolution of its structure, two issues of primary importance come into sight: these are the relationship between central and peripheral powers and the relationship between public authorities and private citizens. It is easy to notice, in fact, how these two areas are closely interconnected, thus constituting a single field of study of great relevance for scholars: in fact, an analysis on the history of American constitutionalism and its major evolutionary trends shows that the shift produced in the vertical division of powers between different levels of government has determined a further development of civil rights in terms of entitlements that citizens may demand from public authorities.