[zoolily]

Decentralization transfers powers to local elites, who are more likely to be interested in interfering with you or your group specifically compared to a more or less uncaring larger government. In the US, states weren't bound by the Bill of Rights until the 14th amendment, giving them more power to restrict liberties than the federal government. After reconstruction, SCOTUS issued decisions restoring much of the pre-war order, using the 14th amendment mainly to find new powers for corporations.