Nathan Benefield

Nathan Benefield

Senior Vice President

Nathan (Nate) Benefield is the Senior Vice President at the Commonwealth Foundation.

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.”

Public Union Democracy

Government Unions Torpedo Agenda

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 3, 2013

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 Agenda

Regulation

Podcast: Where Does Pension Reform Stand?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 28, 2013

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

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 27, 2013

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 Taxpayers

Government Accountability

Mailbag: That “Delaware Loophole” Thingamajig

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 26, 2013

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” Thingamajig

Regulation

Putting Pension Projections in Perspective

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 25, 2013

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 Perspective

Education

6 Trends in Public School Spending

  • Nathan Benefield, Priya Brannick
  • June 24, 2013

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 Spending

Health Care

Budget Could Transform Pa., For Good or Ill

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 21, 2013

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 Ill

Public Union Democracy

Nation Laughs at Pennsylvania

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 20, 2013

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 Pennsylvania

Regulation

Podcast: Fixing Public Pensions

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 19, 2013

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 Pensions

State Budget

The Case for Corbett’s Tax Reform

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 13, 2013

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 Reform

Regulation

Goverment Middleman Bad for Consumers

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 12, 2013

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

Regulation

Government Wholesale Monopoly Bad for Pennsylvania

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 5, 2013

Testimony to the Senate Law and Justice Committee yesterday illustrated why wholesale privatization must be a part of “modernizing” liquor sales in Pennsylvania. The PLCB’s wholesale monopoly can’t serve current,…

Media

Read More: Government Wholesale Monopoly Bad for Pennsylvania

Regulation

Myth: PLCB vs Largest Wholesalers

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 28, 2013

One popular myth in the liquor debate is that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has enormous “buying power” that benefits Pennsylvanians. The story goes that the state is the largest, or…

Media

Read More: Myth: PLCB vs Largest Wholesalers

Regulation

Privatization Opponents: Distorting or Ill-Informed?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 22, 2013

Critics of liquor store privatization claim that a CDC study suggests liquor privatization would result in greater social harms.  The problem: The flawed study doesn’t support that claim, and…

Media

Read More: Privatization Opponents: Distorting or Ill-Informed?

Taxes & Economy

The Economic Impact of Gov. Corbett’s Proposed Tax Reform

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 22, 2013

This policy brief utilizes PA-STAMP to estimate the impact of Gov. Corbett’s proposed tax reform package.  Accordingly, by 2017-18, these reforms (compared with current policy) would result in: 1,259 additional…

Fact Sheet

Read More: The Economic Impact of Gov. Corbett’s Proposed Tax Reform

Regulation

Facts Contradict Claims of Liquor Monopoly Supporters

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 16, 2013

I’ve received some email responses critical of my recent commentary on liquor privatization. These responses, unfortunately, echo many of faulty claims served up by supporters of the…

Media

Read More: Facts Contradict Claims of Liquor Monopoly Supporters

Regulation

Liquor Privatization Done Right

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 15, 2013

It's decades past time to get government out of our Prohibition-era liquor system. Pennsylvanians have suffered from the PLCB's conflicts of interest and taxpayer-funded boondoggles for far too long.  Until…

Commentary

Read More: Liquor Privatization Done Right

Public Union Democracy

Reckless Scheme or Reckless Ad?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 13, 2013

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) is spending a million in order to save a million—every year! The UFCW announced a $1 million statewide television ad buy attacking…

Media

Read More: Reckless Scheme or Reckless Ad?

Regulation

New Life for Landmark Pension Reform

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 7, 2013

Landmark pension reform legislation was unveiled today, as the Commonwealth Foundation stood with Gov. Tom Corbett, state lawmakers, business leaders, school board members and other groups.  The new bills, introduced…

Media

Read More: New Life for Landmark Pension Reform

Health Care

Reality Check: We’re Overspending

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 2, 2013

Bad revenue collections and updated projections highlight a big problem in the state budget: We are spending more than we are collecting. The problem is much worse than a recent…

Media

Read More: Reality Check: We’re Overspending

Regulation

Social Impacts of Liquor Privatization

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 30, 2013

Submitted Testimony of the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives to the Senate Law & Justice Committee, April 30, 2013 The Commonwealth Foundation would like to thank…

Testimony

Read More: Social Impacts of Liquor Privatization