Introduction

Immanuel Kant and Alexander Hamilton have each been studied for centuries, but it is unusual to associate the two. They lived in the same period and wrote about some common issues, but what unites them most is federalism – at least in a broad sense – considering that the modern conception of federalism was emerging right at that time, partially thanks to their written work and to Hamilton’s political activity.
Mario Albertini was the first to develop a theory of federalism explicitly linking the two authors. In his seminal work, "Il Federalismo e lo Stato federale. Antologia e definizione" (Federalism and the federal state. Anthology and definition) first published in 1963, Albertini considered federalism as...