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.

Does Governor Markell deserve a D? | 11/28/2018

11/9/2012 In their recent “Fiscal Report Card on America’s Governors,” the CATO Institute gave Delaware’s Governor Markell a “D”. The basis for the grade was that over the past four years the Governor has increased taxes (i.e., personal income, gross receipts...

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Happy Holidays, New Castle County Residents! Your Gift: Higher Taxes, Higher Crime | 11/28/2018

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 wors...

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Sussex County to New Castle County: Well Take Your Taxpayers | 11/28/2018

CRI has contended that between the 1998 Uniform Development Code land use regulation and the general practices toward subdivision review, that New Castle County (NCC) government is anti-development. Lack of economic growth has led to very large increases in NCC taxes and fee...

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No Longer Blowing Smoke | 11/28/2018

In August of 2009 Delaware raised its cigarette tax from $1.15 to $1.60 per pack of 20 smokes. The consequences were predictable. State revenue from the cigarette tax fell between 2009 and 2012. In part this was due to the higher price discouraging smoking. In addition, however, Delawares ...

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Economic Growth Starts at Home | 11/28/2018

In his recent State of the State address the Governor asserted that the legislated expiration of both his earlier 17% increase in Delawares top personal income tax rate and the 34% increase in the average gross receipts tax rates were "unaffordable tax cuts today." How has D...

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Updated Transparent Delaware data | 11/28/2018

Thanks to the generous support of CRI donors and the professional cooperation of the Delaware Office of Management and Budget, the payroll and vendor data in Transparent Delaware has been updated to include 2011. A review of the data shows that some things continued and some things changed substanti...

With All Due Respect to Alan Levin | 11/28/2018

March 28, 2013 I appreciate Delaware Director of Economic Development (DEDO) Alan Levins recent response in the News Journal to my assessment of the condition and immediate future of the Delaware economy ("Writer Misrepresents Delawares Economic Health" March 15, News Journal). I b...

The Government is Playing Games With Employee Retirement Benefits | 11/28/2018

The retirement benefits of Delaware state and local government employees are at risk. The governments of both the state and New Castle County have been playing financial games with their employees pension funds, but the chickens are coming home to roost. For more than two years groups like ...

How the Prevailing Wage Law Stopped Progress | 11/28/2018

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 Delawa...

Floundering in a Sea of Anecdotes | 11/28/2018

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 co...