Nathan Benefield

Nathan Benefield

Chief Policy Officer

Nathan (Nate) Benefield is the Chief Policy Officer 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 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.”

Education

School Choice: The ABC’s

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 23, 2012

In time for National School Choice Week, the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice released its 2012 ABC’s of School Choice. The new guide gives an overview of what…

Media

Read More: School Choice: The ABC’s

Criminal Justice Reform

Fiscal Outlook for Pennsylvania: Not Too Rosy

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 20, 2012

This week the new Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office held its first annual seminar on the state economy and revenue. After a series of presentations on the state of the…

Media

Read More: Fiscal Outlook for Pennsylvania: Not Too Rosy

State Budget

Turnpike Commission Defends Ballooning Debt

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 11, 2012

Following our post yesterday, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission wanted to make sure we saw their response to Auditor General Jack Wagner’s warning on their growing debt. The Turnpike…

Media

Read More: Turnpike Commission Defends Ballooning Debt

Taxes & Economy

Chart of the Day: Pennsylvania Transportation Spending

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 9, 2012

Many advocates and industry representatives have been calling for increasing transportation spending in Pennsylvania. Yet over the past 16 years, state transportation spending has increased by 127 percent, a fact…

Media

Read More: Chart of the Day: Pennsylvania Transportation Spending

State Budget

Pennsylvania Budget Freezes in Perspective

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 5, 2012

Yesterday, Gov. Corbett and the Office of the Budget released a list of 2011-12 budgetary freezes—reductions in spending from the enacted General Fund budget—due in part to revenue shortfalls. I…

Media

Read More: Pennsylvania Budget Freezes in Perspective

Government Accountability

Top 10 Posts of 2011

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 30, 2011

For your “year in review” pleasure, here are the most popular CF articles and research papers of 2011, based on readership: Citizens Guide to Electric Choice and Competition…

Media

Read More: Top 10 Posts of 2011

Taxes & Economy

PA Online Sales Tax Guidelines Claim First Casualty

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 30, 2011

When the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue issued a new bulletin instructing online vendors about collecting state sales tax, tax reform advocates expressed a lot of concern. The new…

Media

Read More: PA Online Sales Tax Guidelines Claim First Casualty

Taxes & Economy

Tax-Exempt Government Property Adds to Harrisburg’s Woes

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 29, 2011

The city of Harrisburg is facing a fiscal crisis primarily brought on by over-spending, accruing too much debt, and getting into areas government has no business—from the incinerator to owning…

Media

Read More: Tax-Exempt Government Property Adds to Harrisburg’s Woes

Taxes & Economy

Map: PA Among Highest Unemployment Tax Rates

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 28, 2011

The Tax Foundation has a new map showing unemployment insurance tax rates. As you can see, Pennsylvania has one of the highest tax rates in the nation. The unemployment…

Media

Read More: Map: PA Among Highest Unemployment Tax Rates

Government Accountability

Redistricting Reform Needed…Four Years Ago

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 20, 2011

The Pennsylvania House is expected this week to to pass the Congressional redistricting bill. House Democrats, in the minority, are complaining about the gerrymandering of the new map.

Media

Read More: Redistricting Reform Needed…Four Years Ago

Regulation

Time to End Borrowing for Corporate Welfare

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 19, 2011

The Pa. House is expected to vote this week on SB 1054, legislation to authorize $1.66 billion in state borrowing for the “capital budget.” The annual cost of this…

Media

Read More: Time to End Borrowing for Corporate Welfare

Regulation

Pennsylvania Pols Pass Potent Potables Perestroika

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 13, 2011

Today, the Pennsylvania House amended HB 11 and then sent it on to the full house for consideration. The first amendment guts any privatization of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control…

Media

Read More: Pennsylvania Pols Pass Potent Potables Perestroika

Education

Patriot News (Mostly) Endorses School Choice

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 9, 2011

This week, the Patriot News editorial board wrote an endorsement of a school voucher proposal in Pennsylvania. Here is the key pro argument: The case for vouchers is…

Media

Read More: Patriot News (Mostly) Endorses School Choice

Education

School Choice in Pa. is Cure for Disaster

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 8, 2011

An excellent commentary by Jeanne Allen in the Delaware County Times sums up the case for school choice and the empirical evidence: Pennsylvania’s neighbors have led by example…

Media

Read More: School Choice in Pa. is Cure for Disaster

Education

Four of Five Philadelphia Students Not Proficient in Reading or Math

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 8, 2011

Yesterday, the National Center for Education Statistics (part of the U.S. Department of Education) released district perfomance data on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).  This is part…

Media

Read More: Four of Five Philadelphia Students Not Proficient in Reading or Math

Education

Are School Vouchers Constitutional in Pennsylvania?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 7, 2011

Several attacks on school choice claim that using state funds for vouchers that might go to private schools is unconstitutional. Here are some facts and legal analysis on that issue.

Media

Read More: Are School Vouchers Constitutional in Pennsylvania?

Education

Chart of the Day: Public School Enrollment vs Staff

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • December 5, 2011

One of the drivers of education spending is an increase in staff sizes while enrollment has declined. Data from the PA Department of Education indicates that from 1999-2000 to…

Media

Read More: Chart of the Day: Public School Enrollment vs Staff

Taxes & Economy

Chart of the Day: Shale Growth Fuels Tax Growth

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 1, 2011

We noted previously how the boom from Marcellus Shale natural gas has fueled a dramatic increase in state corporate tax collections.  Pennsylvania Department of Revenue data also show a…

Media

Read More: Chart of the Day: Shale Growth Fuels Tax Growth

Regulation

PLCB is $30 Million in the Hole

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 30, 2011

As Jay noted earlier, Auditor General Jack Wagner and a number of defenders of the current government monopoly argue that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) is a great…

Media

Read More: PLCB is $30 Million in the Hole

Education

Improving Public Education…Through School Choice

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 28, 2011

Here is a letter to the editor I submitted to the Pocono Record, correcting the record on school choice: Your editorial, “Support your public schools” bashes school choice…

Media

Read More: Improving Public Education…Through School Choice

Regulation

Green Fiascoes and Boondoggles

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 22, 2011

Economist Mark Hendrickson, a member of CF’s Council of Scholars, looks at the failure of government funded “green energy” projects in his latest column for the Center for Vision…

Media

Read More: Green Fiascoes and Boondoggles