Caesar Rodneys Transparent Delaware website has been updated to include state employee payroll data through 2013. An initial pass at the latest data continues to raise the question as to why the State of Delaware government doesnt systematically track its supplemental pay system.               What jumps out from the data?               First, supplemental pay (overtime and "other") adds a major boost to State of Delaware salaries. In 2013 overtime pay added 2.7% to the state

This article was originally published at delawareonline.com on May 29 in The News Journal on May 30   The recent DEFAC Advisory Council on Revenue recommends an increase in the state's Gross Receipts Tax rate. This is a gross mistake for three reasons.   First, if you tax something you get less of it. An increase in the GRT reduces business income and leads to less hiring. Using data from 1975 through 2013 and controlling for the business cycle using Delaware personal income

This article originally appeared on delawareonline.com February 3, 2015, and in The News Journal February 4, 2015. View the original here   Survey after survey shows high levels of disillusion among voters regarding their elected officials. The sense is that the political elite display a growing contempt for the average citizen. That the political elite have an attitude of condescension regarding the average person and question the capacity of the person “in the street” to s

A recent report from the Competitive Enterprise Institute confirms once again the economic boost that right to work laws provide states.     Richard Vedder and Jonathan Robe, in "An Interstate Analysis of Right to Work Laws," confirm that over time the 24 states with right to work (RTW) law have faster growing economies than states without such a law. Over a 35-year period, employment rose 105% in RTW states compared to only 50% in non-RTW states. Similarly, inflation-adjuste

The data shows that Delawares economy is still floundering. While employment is starting to pick up, the unemployment rate is stuck at twice the historic average. And this despite the labor force dropping by more than 6,500 persons since the beginning of 2013. Transfer payments remain the driving component of slow growing personal income. The strain on Medicaid and food stamps continues to rise. When asked about the states economy, the Governor typically replies with a string

Recently, with encouragement from the County Executive, Tom Gordon, the New Castle County Council voted 7 to 6 against using a $100,000 contribution from the Friends of Rockwood to renovate the county-owned Rockwood Mansion. The argument was that such construction repairs should be subject to Delawares prevailing wage system.   That argument is flawed for two reasons.   First, the argument doesnt coincide with state law. Second, the current Delaware prevailing wage system is

In a series of analyses CRI has argued the New Castle County (NCC) government is facing a serious fiscal crisis. This crisis was precipitated by the passage in 1998 of the anti-growth and anti-economic development Uniform Development Code (UDC). The recent recession has made things worse.      Within just a few years after enactment of the UDC employment in NCC flat-lined and residential building permits nose dived. Adding insult to injury, the recession took the wind out of

This article was originally published on October 28, 2014 on the website InsideSources.com . This article is reprinted in its entirely with permission.   Economic research on the impact of energy prices on economic growth has focused largely on the volatility of the price of oil, which has triggered numerous economic crises and recessions (the mid-1970s oil embargo is the first example that may come to mind.) In our case, the main objective is to isolate the impact of electri

The latest data from the Center for Disease Control on out-of-wedlock births does not bode well for Delaware. During 2009 nearly 48% of all the births in the First State were to unwed mothers. This ranges from 34% of all births to whites, 65% for Hispanics, and 72% for blacks.   In 2009 the nation hit a high water mark with 41% of all births out-of-wedlock. Among all the states, Delaware ties for fourth highest. The proportion of births to Delaware’s white unwed mothers is ab

Following are the changes in various state of Delaware performance measures since Governor Markell took office. Where possible the data is from January of 2009 through November of 2011. Otherwise the data compares the year 2008 to 2010.   THE ECONOMY   Employment                        -3.6% (- 15,100 jobs)       Unemployment Rate                     0.6 percentage points                         Total persons unemployed                     1,607 people                 Initial