Drilling down on how the pro–middle class foreign policy Biden promised would actually look is no easy task. Judging its success requires looking at not only public statements but also personnel choices, policy processes, and measured outcomes.

To help expand and sustain America’s middle class, U.S. foreign policy makers need a new agenda that will rebuild trust at home and abroad.

The United States must secure the benefits of a globalized economy while protecting itself from systemic shocks and supporting the economic renewal of middle-class communities.

As millions of Americans contend with lost wages and savings due to the coronavirus, the challenge of making U.S. foreign policy work harder for the middle class is even more vital.

While the U.S. economy has been growing and unemployment rates have fallen, too many Americans still struggle to sustain a middle-class lifestyle. Are changes to U.S. foreign policy required to better advance the economic well-being of America’s middle class?

Does the United States need to make big changes to its foreign policy in order to make middle class Americans economically better off? Looking at Ohio as a case study, Carnegie brought together a bipartisan group of former policymakers along with researchers from The Ohio State University to find out.

Policymakers need to explore ways to make U.S. foreign policy work better for America’s middle class, even if their economic fortunes depend largely on domestic factors and policies.