Nathan Benefield
Senior Vice President
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 senior vice president, 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.”
Biofuels may harm more than help
OECD report says that Ethanol and Biodiesel aren’t the holy grail that Gov. Rendell thinks they are: “When acidification, fertilizer use, biodiversity loss and toxicity of agricultural pesticides…
Media
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There IS enough funding for roads and bridges
Sixty-three Senators believe there is enough federal funding for roads and bridges to also fund the “International Peace Garden” in Dunseith, North Dakota; “America’s Wetland Center” in Lake Charles, Louisiana;…
Media
Read More: There IS enough funding for roads and bridges
Cyberschools and AYP
Lancaster Intelligencer Journal on cyber schools academic performance and area schools. The article cites our Edifice Complex report– particularly fact about cyber students coming disproportionately from underperforming school…
Media
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Who are the judges?
A Reposting – for those of you who are neither lawyers or criminals and are looking for more info about the judicial candidates, here are various surveys/voter guides. Democracy…
Media
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Pork or Bridge Repairs
The Club For Growth and Americans for Prosperity are blogging on Senator Tom Coburn’s effort to remove pork projects from transportation funding. Read more on transportation pork…
Media
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PA Chief Justice to retire at year’s end
Chief Justice Cappy will retire at the end of the year. Apparently, even he just isn’t paid well enough to finish his term.
Media
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English offers new remedy to tolling of I-80
Congressman Phil English is proposing to ban tolls on all existing federal freeways, similar to a proposal introduced by Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. We don’t think that is…
Media
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Are 37 million really poor?
Robert Rector Q&A on the latest poverty numbers: When you look at the people who John Edwards insists are poor, what you find is that the overwhelming…
Media
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Consumerism and High-Cost Health Care
Health Hog on the idea that individual consumers can’t be allowed to make choices in major health care decision (which leads to the idea that government agents need to…
Media
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Falling Bridges: The Nation Doesn’t Face a Crisis
John and Maxim Lott in the NY Post take on the “crisis” in bridges. They note that “structurally deficient” bridges have little or nothing to do with a likelihood…
Media
Read More: Falling Bridges: The Nation Doesn’t Face a CrisisHealth Care
Health Care Reform: Diagnose, Then Prescribe
Following the latest Census Bureau report that 47 million Americans are without health insurance, the talking heads and newspaper editorial boards are renewing their call for “something to…
Commentary
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Fumo still doesn’t like Turnpike Lease idea
Patriot News article cites Vince Fumo as evidence that legislators don’t like the idea of a Turnpike lease. As Fumo put it, the turnpike “is what it is,…
Media
Read More: Fumo still doesn’t like Turnpike Lease idea
Socialized Medicine is Already Here
Michael Cannon writes that the US health care system is already half socialized (and it is the half-socialized aspects, not the half-free parts, which is to blame of most…
Media
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I-80 tolls the best of ideas … or the worst
Eric Heyl on Tolling I-80 in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review The most significant problem with this proposal — and it is a particularly nagging one — is that…
Media
Read More: I-80 tolls the best of ideas … or the worst
Minnesota’s Fiscal Priorities: Too Bad Bridge-Building Isn’t a Sport
Tax Foundation commentary on looks at the Minnesota bridge collapse, and debunks the myth of there not being enough money for transportation by pointing out how there is an…
Media
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Who Pays for Health Insurance?
Wall Street Journal column discusses how it isn’t just the uninsured who don’t benefit from the current health insurance model (and how a standard deduction for health care would…
Media
Read More: Who Pays for Health Insurance?
Turnpike Open for Bidding
Governor Rendell has issued a request for qualifications for bidders on a Turnpike Lease. I’m not clear how a “request for qualifications” differs from “expression of interest” or an…
Media
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High school graduates not proficient
Report from PA Partnerships for Children reveals that 45% of Pennsylvania high school graduates last year did not pass the 11th grade PSSA (on the first or 2nd try).
Media
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Fix health care by making Americans care about costs
Michael Cannon in USATODAY.com on fixing the real problems in health care.
Media
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S-CHIP expansion is not about ‘the children’
Heritage Foundation argues that S-CHIP is not about ‘the children’ but about moving towards socialized medicine.
Media
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Calls for heads to roll at PHEAA
The Patriot News says PHEAA employees who think they would earn more in the private sector should go earn more in the private sector (by which they mean not…
Media
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