Delaware Politics and Government

This volume provides a comprehensive analysis of both the historical and the contemporary dimensions of the politics and government of the "First State." Once a sparsely populated, agrarian, and relatively insignificant polity, Delaware has become a densely and diversely populated financial and legal center often called the "corporation capital of the world." Delaware's prime location has been central to its development and transition from a goods-producing economy to a fast-growing, service-based economy. Despite its diminutive size, Delaware is, in many ways, the nation's preferred corporate home. William W. Boyer and Edward C. Ratledge provide an overview of Delaware's history, structure, and present politics and explain why one of the smallest states in the country is also one of the most powerful. Delaware continually promotes pro-business legislation, business and public objectives are entwined, and privatization is a dominant theme in public affairs. The state has an individualistic political order in which public participation is indirect and citizen activism is limited.

William W. Boyer is the Charles Polk Messick Professor Emeritus in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Delaware. He is the author of several books, including Governing Delaware: Policy Problems in the First State. Edward C. Ratledge is an associate professor at the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy and the director of the Center for Applied Demography and Survey Research at the University of Delaware. He is the coauthor of Handbook on Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems in Law Enforcement.