BodyText1
In October 2017, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke in Washington, D.C., at the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administrations (NASPAA) Annual Conference. As the founding chair of the Biden Institute, housed within the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration (Biden School) at the University of Delaware, President Biden called upon the audience of over 300 educators and administrators to encourage students to become, and remain, engaged in public policy and public service.
In his closing remarks, President Biden laid out a challenge to the public policy leaders in the audience: to develop new ideas and solutions to reinvigorate Americas middle class. He invited the attendees to reassemble one year later at the University of Delaware to present their ideas.
In September 2018, scholars, practitioners, educators, students, and community members representing 35 universities, nonprofit organizations, and think tanks did just that—convening at the University of Delaware to present and discuss the first ideas of The Biden Challenge. During the daylong conference, 13 panelists presented their proposals to revitalize the middle class. These presentations were targeted towards several policy tracks:
Budget Priorities
Workforce Dynamics
The Role of Innovation
All who attended the conference participated in an ideas exchange that allowed for a more inclusive response to President Biden's challenge.
The Biden Challenge Blog is home to some of these responses, and intends to serve as a meeting space where ideas and initiatives to revitalize the middle class are shared and debated.
We hope you will join us.
