Historical Commentary on Political Economy
Trump’s Not the First, Though He’s Probably The Most
What’s the history and theory of presidents pardoning corporations? Longer than the media – and legal scholars – claim.
Don’t Let the Self-Parody Obscure the Disgrace of Delaware’s AI Companies
Delaware’s proposal for AI Companies is a bad joke, but one that reveals a plan for government failure, a means to skirt accountability, and similarities to the historical law of slavery.
Dela-where? Who Cares. (Certainly not the firm rewriting the state’s laws.)
The State of Delaware has partnered with an AI firm to update it’s laws, but that AI firm can’t identify Delaware, apparently.
Digging for the Origins of Corporate Voting
When did corporations first get the right to vote in Delaware? My research suggests the earliest date was 1893.
First Instance of Black Suffrage in Delaware?
Did a swamp bill provide the first instance of Black access to a form of state-legislated suffrage in Delaware?
RIP CORP: “What’s the Deal with Delaware?”
I was interviewed by Ingrid Burrington for the latest episode of RIP Corp, your favorite business podcaster’s favorite business podcast. The episode gets into the history and current status of Delaware’s whole deal w/r/t corporations and asks: is the Delaware Way for Corporations dead? RIP Corp, Episode 22: “What’s the Deal with Delaware?” “Generally, when…
Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud, Now
In lawsuits and legislative debates, Delawareans are staking positions on corporate voting publicly for perhaps for the first time in the state’s history. Amid this debate, a new theory of local oligarchy, and its connections to the state’s corporate capture, has emerged – but has not been resolved.
How Long Has This Been Going On?
How long has the government Delaware been dependent on corporate franchise fees? I investigate.
What Rough Beast Slouches Toward Dover?
Earlier this month, I published a piece in a local Delaware outlet, outlining what I think is coming down the pike to Dover in the next legislative session. Dael Norwood, “What Rough Beast Slouches Toward Dover?,” Delaware Call, January 13, 2026, https://delawarecall.com/2026/01/13/what-rough-beast-slouches-toward-dover/. When they meet again in Dover this session, Delaware’s legislators face a real…
Forever the Fenwick Island Corporation
Fenwick Island, as a modern community, was born a Delaware chartered corporation – which perhaps explains the municipality’s current attachment to corporate voting. Fenwick Island, then, mirrors in some ways Delaware’s increasingly unambiguous preference for controllers over stakeholders. Whether it’s taxes at the beach, or plaintiffs at the bar, the state’s governing institutions seem to incline…
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Dael A. Norwood 