ABOUT US
Enabling students to call the shots about our fiscal future
About the challenge
In 2013, Dr. Mike Aguilar founded the Fiscal Challenge as a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit organization. The Fiscal Challenge is a national competition open to all undergraduate college students. The competition aims to increase student participation and interest in economic and fiscal policies through experiential learning.
Over the past ten years, the Fiscal Challenge has achieved this goal by creating a national platform for student competitors from different backgrounds to debate these issues with experts in the field. The competition has received ample favorable press coverage from organizations including Politico, Washington Post, The Hill, and US News & World Report, as well as recognition from the Journal of Economic Education for how it brings to life economics and fiscal policy for student competitors.
Our mission
Our mission is to enhance students’ understanding of fiscal policy through the use of experiential education.
What’s the purpose of the Fiscal Challenge?
Most economics curricula contain a gap: fiscal policy receives insufficient attention.
Taxes, spending, the national debt, and deficit are critical elements of advanced macroeconomic models—and are drivers of our everyday lives. A proper understanding of fiscal policy helps students grow as scholars, become more informed citizens, and possibly become policymakers themselves.
The United States is at a crossroads—on an unsustainable fiscal policy path with so much at stake. By providing students with an experiential learning activity that takes them from the Classroom to the Capitol, we put them in the driver’s seat of our country’s future.
What to expect?
You will gain new insight into our economic system and develop crucial soft skills such as leadership, public speaking, and mediation. This experience will provide you with real-world knowledge and critical thinking skills.
We will provide resources to start your research and can help you find an advisor if your team would like to utilize one. Participating in this competition will set you apart from your peers by developing knowledge and skills in an understudied field.
Meet the Fiscal Challenge Team
Our Partners
Fiscal Challenge
Judges, Advisors, Moderators, and Guest Speakers
Join our judicial and advisory team
Students always say that the finals being held in Washington, D.C., is the highlight of this free educational experience for their team. After the winners are determined, we host a networking session. This is an excellent opportunity to meet professionals in Washington, D.C., and connect with students nationwide.
If you are an educator or professional in the fiscal policy & economic world, we’re interested in finding a way to get you involved with growing the challenge. If you are interested in becoming an advisor or guest speaker for the 2024 season, please contact us by January 31, 2024.
Mike Aguilar
President & Founder
Dr. Mike Aguilar founded the Fiscal Challenge in 2013 based on his belief that there is nothing more powerful than experiential education couched within a competition. Mike is Teaching Professor of Economics at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (UNC – Chapel Hill), Adjunct Associate Professor at UNC – Chapel Hills’ Kenan Flagler Business School, and Adjust Associate Professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. He previously served as Chief Investment Officer of Cardinal Retirement Planning in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Early in his career, he worked at the Congressional Budget Office.
Mike has won numerous awards for teaching excellence and is committed to student success within and outside of the classroom. He has published his research in leading journals including Real Estate Economics, Journal of Economic Education, and Journal of Econometrics, among others. Mike holds a PhD in Economics from UNC – Chapel Hill, an MA in Economics from New York University, and a BS in Economics and BA in Mathematics from Binghamton University.
As Founder and President of the Fiscal Challenge, Mike oversees all recruiting, fundraising, and operation efforts. He leverages his extensive experience in macroeconomics to judge the first round of the competition and invites economics professionals to serve as mentors to student competitors. He welcomes conversations with peers who share his passion for supporting the next generation of professionals who will shape U.S. fiscal policy.
Contact Information:
[email protected]
Erica Patella
Program Coordinator
Erica Patella was drawn to the Fiscal Challenge because it allows undergraduate students the opportunity to have hands-on experience with a subject that affects their futures immensely. As a non-economics major who now works in the financial services industry, she realized that buzz words are thrown around in the media a lot, but more often than not, fiscal policy issues and solutions are not taught unless students advance to graduate-level economics classes. She is motivated to help students learn more about financial policies, data, and the economy, understand how government decisions can affect their day to day lives, and show them the tools they can use to make a difference beyond what is taught in most classrooms.
Erica spearheads the competition’s final round in Washington D.C. Outside of the on-site competition, she leads the marketing strategy and ensures students can get involved with the Fiscal Challenge throughout the year by bringing visibility to the competition among universities.
Contact Information:
[email protected]