STUDYING THE PROBLEMS OF FEDERALISM IN PENZA STATE UNIVERSITY
Background. Nowdays research in the sphere of federalism has become of extreme importance in the view of global crisis of state. There is a rising interest in the theory and practical aspects of federalism in the activity of the concrete states. Meanwhile federalism studies of particular countries are not adequate. This may be explained by the traditionally narrow understanding of federalism only in the terms of constitutional law, lack of interdisciplinary and comparative approach. Penza State University is one of the research centers of federalist studies, particularly Russian and foreign models. This is substantiated by the conferences, publication of articles in SCOPUS, VAC RF, RINC magazines, studying books and monographs, research cooperation between jurists from different Russian and foreign universities. Materials and methods. Monographs and studying books published in Penza State University, articles in the magazines “State and Law”, “Legal Policy and Legal Life”, “Contemporary Europe” have been taken for the review. Comparative method has been applied to demonstrate research originality of the above mentioned federalist studies. Traditionally federalism has been considered from the position of Constitutional Law but it's not adequate under circumstances of international turbulence. It's necessary to trace evolution of federalism in different countries using state studying, legal, political science methods which we see in the works of A. D. Gulyakov, A. Yu. Salomatin, A. V. Malko. Results. We have discovered different approaches in federalist studies at Penza State University: model, evolutionary one (A. D. Gulyakov), approaches from the point of theory of law and political science (A. Yu. Salomatin and A. V. Malko), traditional constitutional law approach (O. V. Romanovskaya, G. B. Romanovsky). Conclusions. New methods of research defining evolution and models of federalism and tracing influencing on it such political forces as political parties are very promising ones. Without any doubt, they will permit study federalism in a complex way as not only legal but as state and political phenomena.