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.”
Regulation
The Perplexing Problem with Pensions
Traditional pensions are plagued by their dependence on guesswork—estimates on economic growth, employee behavior, and investment return—writes Grove City economist Mark Hendrickson in a recent piece. The errors in…
Media
Read More: The Perplexing Problem with PensionsPublic Union Democracy
“Money in Politics” Fosters Big Government
You probably hear a lot about “money in politics,” but rarely do pundits correctly identify the largest source of special interest political spending. According to a new report, big labor…
Media
Read More: “Money in Politics” Fosters Big GovernmentHealth Care
Want to Help the Poor? Don’t Expand Medicaid
Yesterday, we talked about why Michigan’s plan to expand Medicaid was a bad deal for taxpayers. But expansion is a bad deal for patients too. Advocates of expansion make…
Media
Read More: Want to Help the Poor? Don’t Expand MedicaidHealth Care
Michigan’s Medicaid Mistake
Michigan’s decision to expand Medicaid leaves Pennsylvania and four other states to decide if putting more individuals into a government program is the best way to offer “affordable health…
Media
Read More: Michigan’s Medicaid MistakeHealth Care
Free Market Benefits, Big Government Burdens Obvious in Obama, Sebelius Visits
President Obama and one of his cabinet members are making separate trips to Pennsylvania this week. Their reasons for visiting couldn’t be more different. Today, the President will speak on…
Media
Read More: Free Market Benefits, Big Government Burdens Obvious in Obama, Sebelius VisitsCriminal Justice Reform
Obama Learns from Pa. on Corrections Reform
Criminal justice policy that offers less spending, lower crime and improved outcomes for offenders—too good to be true? Actually, that is the result of recent corrections reforms in…
Media
Read More: Obama Learns from Pa. on Corrections ReformHealth Care
Medicaid Abuse Shows Downside of Expansion
New polling shows 70 percent of Pennsylvania voters think we need to address waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid before expanding the program. A perusal of the news explains…
Media
Read More: Medicaid Abuse Shows Downside of ExpansionPublic Union Democracy
Government Unions Break Cities
An article in today’s Wall Street Journal illustrates how government union leaders halted any reforms that may have prevented Detroit’s bankruptcy: A major expense for Detroit is the…
Media
Read More: Government Unions Break CitiesRegulation
Liquor Privatization Saves Lives?
A little more than one year ago, Washington state privatized its liquor stores (and liquor wholesale operations). As we’ve noted before, both sales and tax revenue increased under privatization.
Media
Read More: Liquor Privatization Saves Lives?Regulation
“Failure” Leads to Downgrade for Pennsylvania
This latest look at Pennsylvania’s fiscal house shows the urgency of pension reform and spending restraint. Fitch Ratings yesterday downgraded Pennsylvania’s bond rating. This effectively sends a sign to…
Media
Read More: “Failure” Leads to Downgrade for PennsylvaniaPublic Union Democracy
Government Unions Torpedo Agenda
The state budget deadline came and went without passage of any of the “Big Three” policy items—liquor store privatization, pension reform, or transportation tax and fee increases. It was clear…
Media
Read More: Government Unions Torpedo AgendaRegulation
Podcast: Where Does Pension Reform Stand?
On this BOX Program podcast, Representative Fred Keller (R) 85th District, joins Nathan Benefield to break down what’s been happening in the legislature on pension reform. Both the House and…
Media
Read More: Podcast: Where Does Pension Reform Stand?Regulation
Pension Reform Benefits Workers and Taxpayers
Pennsylvania’s two main government worker pension systems, the Public School Employee Retirement System (PSERS) and the State Employee Retirement System (SERS), together have more tha than $47 billion in unfunded…
Media
Read More: Pension Reform Benefits Workers and TaxpayersGovernment Accountability
Mailbag: That “Delaware Loophole” Thingamajig
A few readers responded to my op-ed on corporate tax reform, asking “If you want fairness, why don’t you support ‘ending the Delaware Loophole’?” Unfortunately, many believe that the…
Media
Read More: Mailbag: That “Delaware Loophole” ThingamajigRegulation
Putting Pension Projections in Perspective
Critics of pension reform cite certain actuarial reports claiming that shifting new employees to a defined contribution plan (like a 401(k) in the private sector) will actually cost taxpayers more. …
Media
Read More: Putting Pension Projections in PerspectiveEducation
6 Trends in Public School Spending
The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently updated files from public schools’ annual financial reports and enrollment reports. Here are six key trends from those data.
Memo
Read More: 6 Trends in Public School SpendingHealth Care
Budget Could Transform Pa., For Good or Ill
About one week remains for lawmakers to finalize a state budget. But along with a spending plan, a number of major policy reforms remain in the mix. The outcomes of…
Media
Read More: Budget Could Transform Pa., For Good or IllPublic Union Democracy
Nation Laughs at Pennsylvania
The state government liquor store union is once again running ads showing a young girl at a funeral mourning a parent killed by a drunk driver, then claiming this will…
Media
Read More: Nation Laughs at PennsylvaniaRegulation
Podcast: Fixing Public Pensions
Two new BOX Program podcasts offer illuminating insight into our public pension crisis and how lawmakers can help fix the broken system. First, Matt talks with former Utah State…
Media
Read More: Podcast: Fixing Public PensionsState Budget
The Case for Corbett’s Tax Reform
Combined with the federal tax rate, Pennsylvania businesses pay the second highest tax on their profits in the entire industrialized world.
Commentary
Read More: The Case for Corbett’s Tax ReformRegulation
Goverment Middleman Bad for Consumers
The Scranton Times Tribune has an excellent editorial explaining that the state government monopoly over liquor wholesale is just a bad as its monopoly over wine and spirits retail…
Media
Read More: Goverment Middleman Bad for Consumers