Nathan Benefield
Chief Policy Officer
An Ohio native, Nate holds an undergraduate degree in political science and economics and a master’s degree in public service management from DePaul University in Chicago. He also completed his doctoral studies (ABD) in political science at Loyola University, also in Chicago.
Nate joined the Commonwealth Foundation in 2005. Now as Chief Policy Officer , he provides strategic leadership as well as operational oversight spanning policy analysis, government relations, marketing, and communications.
Nate has researched and written extensively on public policy issues including the state budget, public sector labor reform, government spending and taxes, liquor privatization, education, and economic development. Under Nate’s policy leadership, the Commonwealth Foundation’s work on public sector pension law helped drive the bipartisan pension reform of 2017, heralded by the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post as an example for other states to follow.
Nate has testified numerous times before state legislative committees and is often called upon by legislators and members of the media to provide expertise. He is a frequent commentator on both television and radio, and his writings have appeared across the state and nationally in outlets including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Patriot-News, and Weekly Standard.
Nate’s favorite rock song and personal motto are both “Don’t Stop Believin.”
Health Care
State Legislators’ Guide to Health Insurance
The Council for Affordable Health Insurance (CAHI) and American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) have published a 2008 version of their guide to health insurance solutions, including recommendations and a…
Media
Read More: State Legislators’ Guide to Health InsuranceEducation
Wisconsin’s Virtual Schools Could Close this Summer
Intriguing piece in School Reform News on how the Wisconsin teachers’ union is also working to undermine cyber schools – rather than targeting funding, they are going after cyber…
Media
Read More: Wisconsin’s Virtual Schools Could Close this SummerTaxes & Economy
Stimulating the Economy with Tax Cuts
Click here for a PDF version of Rep. Mike Turzai’s presentation at last week’s forum on “Stimulating the Economy: Tax Cuts vs ‘Rebates'” Here is video from the…
Media
Read More: Stimulating the Economy with Tax CutsTaxes & Economy
Dynamic Effects of Tax Policy
Part 3 in a series of videos on the Laffer Curve, from the Center for Freedom and Propserity, this one covering dynamic modeling of tax changes. (Click here for…
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Read More: Dynamic Effects of Tax PolicyTaxes & Economy
Neat Charts on Unemployment Claims
I read the latest coverage of the unemployment insurance claims and how this is the “worst report” since 2005 and the most payroll jobs lost since 2003. I noticed…
Media
Read More: Neat Charts on Unemployment ClaimsRegulation
Stimulating the Pennsylvania Economy
Here is video from yesterday’s luncheon on “Stimulating PA’s Economy: Tax Cuts v. ‘Rebates'”. Click here for more videos from the Commonwealth Foundation.
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Read More: Stimulating the Pennsylvania EconomyHealth Care
Are “Large Health Savings Accounts” the Answer?
Michael Cannon has a paper on “Large Health Savings Accounts” in the Forum for Health Economics & Policy (registration required). Also listen to his Cato Podcast on the…
Media
Read More: Are “Large Health Savings Accounts” the Answer?
Turnpike Lease Resources
More information on many of topics I addressed in my testimony on a Turnpike Lease Free analysis of costly Turnpike study PolicyPoint: Act 44…
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Read More: Turnpike Lease ResourcesTaxes & Economy
Concerns About Turnpike Lease Misguided
Testimony before the PA House Transportation Committee Good morning. I am Nathan Benefield, Director of Policy Research for the Commonwealth Foundation. We are a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research…
Testimony
Read More: Concerns About Turnpike Lease MisguidedTaxes & Economy
Pennsylvania has 2nd highest corporate tax – in the world
A new report from the The Tax Foundation finds that Pennsylvania’s combined federal and local corporate income tax rate is higher than any other industrialized nation, and trails only…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania has 2nd highest corporate tax – in the worldRegulation
Smoke Freedom Day
WHP CBS 21 has a story on a quasi-protest of the looming smoking ban. Watch Ryan Shafik go all V for Vendetta on legislators, though his reasoned explanation…
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Turnpike study called one-sided
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article exposes the potential bias of authors of a recent Turnpike lease “study”: The study commissioned by state House Democrats was authored by Harvard professor John…
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Read More: Turnpike study called one-sidedTaxes & Economy
John Baer: Nutter & Obama are awesome
When Saturday Night Live made a mockery of the media’s gushing over Barack Obama, I was surprised at how quickly media-types responded by leveling some criticism and by starting some…
Media
Read More: John Baer: Nutter & Obama are awesomeHealth Care
Competition Solves Health Care
Tom Coburn op-ed in The New York Sun on why free markets are the solution to health care, and government programs are the problem. While government’s role in…
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Read More: Competition Solves Health CareGovernment Accountability
Merit Selection of Judges Blog
Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts has a new blog focusing on merit selection of judges at judgesonmerit.org. Personally I’m not yet persuaded by the merit selection arguments (see previous posts…
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Read More: Merit Selection of Judges BlogHealth Care
Stateline: Socialized Medicine = Fiscally Conservative
Stateline.org has an interesting article on health care funding in the states. The headline reads “On health care, govs are tightening belts.” Here are some examples of “belt-tightening”:…
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Read More: Stateline: Socialized Medicine = Fiscally ConservativeTaxes & Economy
PA Ranks 45th in Tort Liability
Pacific Research Institute has published their State Tort Liability Rankings for 2008. Pennsylvania ranks a lowly 45th, but is very close to 44th – we have your number, Rhode…
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Read More: PA Ranks 45th in Tort LiabilityRegulation
PUC goes after Amish transport
The Pennsylvania Utility Commission is cracking down on individuals giving rides to the Amish, read the Lancaster Online story and the WGAL story. The Post-Gazette also covered…
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Read More: PUC goes after Amish transportGovernment Accountability
Capitol staffers get their own pay raise
Jan Murphy in the Patriot has a look at big pay increases, and big salaries for some legislative staffers following the end of bonuses. While Eric Epstein points…
Media
Read More: Capitol staffers get their own pay raiseTaxes & Economy
Defending Free Trade
The Economist has an editorial defending NAFTA – and the need for the US (and presidential candidates) to drop NAFTA bashing. (HT: The Foundry). On a related front,…
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Read More: Defending Free TradeHealth Care
Why aren’t you dead?
John Goodman’s Health Policy Blog wonders why more people are being poisoned by restaurants – noting how inept public health inspectors are: What keeps you alive is the…
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Read More: Why aren’t you dead?