Electoral Trends in Delaware By Charlie Copeland, Director Center for Analysis of Delaware's Economy & Government Spending March 23, 2023     "This is the first principle of democracy: that the essential things in men are the things they hold in common, not the things they hold separately."  - G.K. Chesterton   For decades, Delaware was a "bellwether" state that was governed from the "center" and, for decades, voted for the nationally-winning Presidential candidate irrespective of their Political Party affiliation. This began to change in the early 1990s, and the trends have accelerated. Delaware is now...[read more]

Delaware's Unemployment is Fourth Worst in the Nation By Charlie Copeland, Director Center for Analysis of Delaware's Economy & Government Spending March 1, 2023     "That's the way it is with entrepreneurial people. You try one thing, it doesn't work, you try another." - Pete du Pont     Delaware's unemployment percent rate for December was the 4th worst rate in the Nation at 4.4%. While 4.4% may not sound that "bad," Delaware's workforce participation rate simultaneously dropped to historic lows reaching below 60% for only the 2nd time in State history. T...[read more]

First Annual Report Card on Delaware Governance: CRI Gives out Four F's     "It was important to evaluate these issues in a familiar format like a report card where Delawareans can clearly see how bad it really is and why CRI's work is so important. Delaware really deserves better."   -John R. Toedtman, Executive Director       NEWARK, DE (February 21, 2023) - The Caesar Rodney Institute releases its First Annual Report Card on Delaware Governance for 2022. The report card evaluates seven critical segments of Delaware life that show the state is failing in key areas and is trending in the wr...[read more]

Increased Education Spending not producing Educated Students By Dr. Tanya Hettler, Ph.D. Center for Education Excellence December 30, 2022     In the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data from 2020, as provided in the report "K-12 Education Spending Spotlight: An in-depth look at school finance data and trends" released by the Reason Foundation, Delaware ranked 13th in the nation in the increase in education spending over the period from 2002-2020. This reflects an increase in Delaware per pupil spending of 29% from $13,387 to $17,235 (inflation-adjusted).   A Closer Look into Delaware's Education Spending   Table 1 below is a...[read more]