Center for Economic & Fiscal Policy

 

• Over the past 20 years, Delaware’s per capita income has gone from the highest in the nation to below the national average.

 

• According to the Delaware Department of Labor, employment is projected to grow at only 0.5% over the next decade, thereby trailing most of the nation.

 

• Since 2009, Delaware has had five recessions compared to one in the rest of the country.

 

• Including the variable Gross Receipts Tax, small business owners in Delaware often pay the highest personal income tax rates in America. 

 

In partnership with other like-minded Delaware organizations, the primary goals of this Center are to develop bi-partisan strategies and alternative policy options that will bring transparency, regulatory reform, and improved effectiveness to the tens of billions of dollars spent by the State every year.

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Delaware's Fiscal Future Poor | 4/1/2014

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 Occupation License Requirements Harm... | 12/27/2012

In a May 2012 report the Institute for Justice ranked all the states with regards to barriers to entry to low- and moderate-income occupations. Delaware had the 42nd most burdensome licensing laws and was the 25th most extensively and onerously licensed state. The report documents the license requir...

Delaware's economy and governance | 8/1/2012

Since Delaware has had 15 consecutive years of conservative governors followed by 18 years of progressive governors, it is an interesting case study. Do the differences in the governance philosophies have consequences for Delaware’s economy?   A simple answer to this question is to ...

Delaware's Economy: Four Years in the Wilderness | 5/24/2012

The April, 2012 labor market data for Delaware has just been released and the numbers are not encouraging. Compared to April of 2008, four years ago, total employment in Delaware is down by 20,000. Construction jobs are down 40%, manufacturing off 22%, and finance jobs down 6%. Government, of course...

Budget Growth Exposes Delaware's Real Priorities | 7/22/222

Over the last twenty years, the Consumer Price Index has risen *62.3%. In addition, Delaware's population has grown **26.3%, from 783,600 people to 989,948. These two growth rates added together suggest an appropriate target for state spending growth over this period.   In...