Morality Policy and Federalism: Innovation, Diffusion and Limits

Abstract

The article explores the question of whether federalism supports innovation and diffusion in morality policy, those policy questions defined by moral values, questions of ethics and faith. It examines in detail two morality policy case studies, same-sex marriage, and marijuana legalization to argue that federalism does support innovation and diffusion of morality policy but that it also provides the basis for resisting the dissemination of such innovation.