Technological innovation has long been and will continue to be critically important to per-capita income growth, economic competitiveness, and national security. So it is important to examine President-elect Joe Biden’s policy agenda through that lens.

This report compiles information from the president-elect’s campaign website and policy documents, from the Democratic Party platform, and from media accounts of statements he has made. The report begins with an overview of the general philosophy the president-elect has articulated on tech and innovation policy, and then examines his policy positions and likely initiatives across 10 issue areas:

▪ Innovation and Research and Development▪ Digital Economy▪ Broadband▪ Education and Skills▪ Taxes▪ Regulation▪ Trade▪ Advanced Manufacturing▪ Life Sciences▪ Clean Energy Innovation

GENERAL PHILOSOPHY TOWARD TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION POLICY

Perhaps the simplest way to frame the Biden administration’s likely program on tech, innovation, and related trade policy is: more spending, more regulation, more multilateralism. The Biden White House is likely to push for significant increases in public investment in areas like R&D, rural broadband and closing the digital divide, plus education and training—all areas of great need after decades of government underinvestment. Yet at the same time, the new administration will likely face significant pressures from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party to push for higher taxes on business and more extensive and restrictive regulations on technology and the tech sector, in areas such as privacy, artificial intelligence (AI), automation, Internet platforms, broadband, antitrust, drug pricing, and a host of others. The risk is that these burdens will outweigh the benefits of greater public investment in innovation.