Center for Analysis of Delaware's Economy & Government Spending

Delaware state governmental policies have been an unfortunate catalyst for the decline of Delaware’s economy for far too long. For instance…

Over the past 10 years, both the Delaware per capita income and average wage have gone from above the national average to below.

According to the Delaware Department of Labor, employment is projected to grow at only 0.6%.

Since 2009, Delaware has had five recessions compared to one in the nation.

By opposing choice in public education, the State government reinforces a system where two-thirds of Delaware students are not proficient in reading and math. In addition to the ramifications for Delaware’s students and their future employability, as has been widely reported, one of the other most evident outcomes is the number of professionals with school-age children who work in Delaware but choose to reside out of state.

Misguided environmental policies have driven industrial electric rates well above neighboring states’ rates, creating the documented exodus of manufacturing jobs to other states and an impediment to developing new, well-paying manufacturing jobs.

Utilizing publicly available data, voluminous research from respected academic institutions, and federal and state resources, CRI is the only non-profit entity in Delaware that is objectively identifying the regressive outcomes of certain state policies and disseminating those damaging ramifications to not only county and state legislators but also the public.

In partnership with other like-minded organizations, the primary goals of this Center are to develop strategies and alternative policy options that will bring transparency - and changes - to the State’s $9 billion budget process while objectively advocating for regulatory reform.

Center Co-Director Dr. John Stapleford has over 40 years of experience in applied regional economics. He established the University of Delaware’s Bureau of Economic Research and the Delaware Small Business Development Center. Dr. Stapleford has served as a senior economist and associate director for Moody’s Analytics and has executed contracts with most federal and Delaware state agencies.

Co-Director Charlie Copeland has an MBA from Duke University with a focus in Finance and spent over 25 years growing a marketing services business that achieved several global awards for operational excellence. He also spent six years in the Delaware State Senate, serving his last two years as the Senate Minority Leader. Charlie, who focused much of his Senate career on education reform and government accountability, remains a sought-after speaker on issues related to governmental accountability.

Delaware's Prevailing Wage is Still the Problem | 11/28/2018

The Caesar Rodney Institutes Center for Economic Policy and Analysis has updated its 2010 comprehensive report on the methodology used by the Delaware Department of Labor (DDOL) in the calculation of the states prevailing wage and the methodology continues to be seriously flawed and tilted toward th...

Time to use Delaware's underused asset: baby... | 11/28/2018

note: this editorial originally appeared in The News Journal and delawareonline.com January 1, 2015. Read the original by clicking here The baby boomers continue to age ... and perhaps mature ... and move into the empty nesters retirement years. Currently in Delaware, three out o...

Delaware's unrealistic look at its finances | 11/28/2018

On Jan. 14, Gov. Jack Markell issued an executive order establishing the DEFAC (Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Committee) “Advisory Council on Revenue.” The primary charge to the council is to evaluate whether the state’s principal revenue sources are adequate and appropr...

Delaware's Fiscal Future Poor | 11/28/2018

A recent report from the Mercatus Center uses fourteen metrics to assess whether states can meet their short-term bills and long-term obligations. Delaware is poorly positioned with regards to its long-term obligations. The analysis in the report is based upon FY 2013 data from the Comprehens...

Delaware's Personal Income Problem | 11/28/2018

The Federal Bureau of Economic Analysis has released the first quarter 2015 personal income data for Delaware and the changes since 2005 are striking. Total personal income for Delawareans rose 39% over the latest 10 years. Adjusted for inflation, real personal income has averaged growth of 1...

The reason Delaware's retail industry... | 11/28/2018

Retail trade in northern Delaware seems to be in a funk. Between 2007 and 2014 total inflation-adjusted retail sales in New Castle County decreased 11%. Retail trade employment is down by over 7% and the total number of retail trade establishments has dropped by almost 11%. What explains this...

Why is Delaware's output flat? | 11/28/2018

This article originally appeared in the News Journal and at delawareonline.com. The total inflation adjusted output of goods and services in Delaware rose a mere 0.6% over the past 10 years. This contrasts to 8.2% in Pennsylvania, 16.6% in New York, 34.3% in Texas, and 12.1% across the nation...

DELAWARE'S PREVAILING WAGE: CHANGE WE CAN... | 11/28/2018

Are union rates over represented in determining Delaware’s prevailing wage rates? Is there alternative Federal data that would more accurately represent construction-market wage rates in Delaware? Would this save the Delaware Department of Labor (DDoL) the expense of compiling and generating a...

Accountants Weigh-In on Delaware's Debt | 11/28/2018

A recent report by the Institute for Truth in Accounting confirms what Caesar Rodney Institute has been saying about the seriousness of Delaware’s state government debt. The state has accumulated bills of $8.6 billion. How did this run up in debt happen? The Institute singles out the us...

Dr. John Stapleford's Presidential Address | 11/28/2018

Dr. John Stapleford, taking over as CRIs new President, spoke to Dace Blaskovitz on "Money and Politics in Delaware" about his new role as CRIs president and on what was going on with the states economy. The show airs Saturdays from 9-10 on WILM.com 1450 AM and WDOV.com 1410 AM. Cli...