"The Monetary Link"

Alexis de Tocqueville is known as an advocate for local governance.  He has seen the negative consequences of centralization in his native France, and worries about civic participation in the face of ever-increasing power in the hands of a central government.  Yet, despite his promotion of the local township, Tocqueville also sees a place for centralization and a strong national government.  In this way, his approach to federalism differs from the prevailing accounts, especially in the public choice literature.  

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