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

Has More Money Improved School District Performance?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 25, 2011

A recent study by the 21st Century Partnership for STEM Education (STEM is short for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which is a good cause to use an acronym)…

Media

Read More: Has More Money Improved School District Performance?

Education

PSBA’s Web of Lies on School Vouchers

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 21, 2011

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), in a desperate attempt to preserve the status quo in education, has launched a new portal, VoucherWatch. Of the many pieces of misinformation…

Media

Read More: PSBA’s Web of Lies on School Vouchers

Regulation

Sony Site: Merely Renting Jobs with Corporate Welfare

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 20, 2011

Last week, the state gave $10 million to rehabilitate the former site of a Sony plant—marking the fourth time taxpayer funding has been used to “create jobs” at the exact…

Media

Read More: Sony Site: Merely Renting Jobs with Corporate Welfare

Regulation

Fixing Rendell’s Mess

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 20, 2011

Penn's Woods are darker and deeper in red ink than ever before thanks to the tax-borrow-and-spend agenda of the Rendell Administration and some General Assembly members who failed to put…

Commentary

Read More: Fixing Rendell’s Mess

Taxes & Economy

UC Trust Fund Interest Another Fiscal Challenge for PA

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 18, 2011

A recent NY Times piece looks at the impact of states’ borrowing to pay their unemployment compensation (UC), now that the federal government will begin charging interest on these…

Media

Read More: UC Trust Fund Interest Another Fiscal Challenge for PA

Education

What the PHEAA is Going On?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 17, 2011

The Patriot News reports that former Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) boss Michael Hershock got $200,000 in a settlement over his 2009 firing.   To recap, he was fired…

Media

Read More: What the PHEAA is Going On?

State Budget

Medicaid: Breaking the Back of State Budgets

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 13, 2011

Last week, 30 Republican governors and governors-elect, including Tom Corbett, sent a letter to the Obama administration and members of Congress asking for greater flexibility in managing their Medicaid…

Media

Read More: Medicaid: Breaking the Back of State Budgets

Taxes & Economy

Residents Still Moving out of PA

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 13, 2011

The latest United Van Lines survey continues to show Pennsylvania is a “high outbound state”—meaning more people are renting trucks to move out of Pennsylvania than moving in (HT…

Media

Read More: Residents Still Moving out of PA

Education

Success Makes School Choice Take Top Priority

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 11, 2011

Senators Jeffrey Piccola and Anthony Williams announced The Opportunity Scholarship Act, which expands school choice in Pennsylvania by creating a voucher program for low-income students and increases the state’s…

Media

Read More: Success Makes School Choice Take Top Priority

Regulation

Liquor Store Union Distorts Facts to Skew Poll

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 10, 2011

We received a forwarded email, in which the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1776 (the union for liquor store employees) called on members to vote in a PCN…

Media

Read More: Liquor Store Union Distorts Facts to Skew Poll

Regulation

Joel Klein Gets the Public Pension Problem

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 10, 2011

Joel Klein has an excellent article on teacher pensions in today’s Wall Street Journal: Whether the investment returns are there or not, defined-benefit pensions require the government to…

Media

Read More: Joel Klein Gets the Public Pension Problem

Regulation

TastyKake: Continued Failure of Corporate Welfare

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 6, 2011

PA Independent reports that TastyKake, a corporation with operations in Philadelphia and Chester County, may have to liquidate. This despite a $32 million low-interest state loan (which is looking…

Media

Read More: TastyKake: Continued Failure of Corporate Welfare

Government Accountability

Top Five CF Research Articles of 2010

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 31, 2010

Based on website visits, here are the five most popular research articles produced by the Commonwealth Foundation in the past year: #5: A Taxpayer’s Budget 2010: Responsible Spending for Pennsylvania…

Media

Read More: Top Five CF Research Articles of 2010

Government Accountability

Top Five PolicyBlog Posts of 2010

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 30, 2010

Based on reader visits, here are our five most popular PolicyBlog posts over the past year: #5: 2010 SAT Scores by State The College Board has released the results of…

Media

Read More: Top Five PolicyBlog Posts of 2010

Taxes & Economy

Marcellus Shale Job Creation Continues

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 23, 2010

A recent Williamsport Sun-Gazette article gives props to the natural gas industry for being an economic boost, and keeping unemployment relatively low in Bradford County, a central hub for…

Media

Read More: Marcellus Shale Job Creation Continues

Education

Report: School Choice Could Save PA Tax Dollars

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 21, 2010

The Foundation for Educational Choice has a new analysis out, suggesting that the federal “Race to the Top” (RTTP) funding from the stimulus bill should be used to…

Media

Read More: Report: School Choice Could Save PA Tax Dollars

Government Accountability

Philadelphia is Number 1 “Judical Hellhole” in US

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 20, 2010

Philadelphia has been named the number one “judicial hellhole” in a new ranking by the American Tort Reform Association. Philadelphia is a source of great concern due…

Media

Read More: Philadelphia is Number 1 “Judical Hellhole” in US

Regulation

How Many State Liquor Stores Should Pennsylvania Have?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 17, 2010

Ben Waxman of the Philadelphia Daily News raises an interesting question about liquor privatization. Noting public support for liquor privatization, he posits whether it would be better to…

Media

Read More: How Many State Liquor Stores Should Pennsylvania Have?

State Budget

Why PA State Debt is “So Low”?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 17, 2010

Yesterday, during his mid-year budget briefing, Gov. Rendell repeated his claims that Pennsylvania state debt is pretty low, less than $1,000 per resident, and much lower (relative to state GDP)…

Media

Read More: Why PA State Debt is “So Low”?

State Budget

The Pot of Debt at the End of Rendell’s Rainbow

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 13, 2010

These days it's hard enough for Pennsylvania families to think about meeting their obligations let alone piling on more debt.  But that's exactly what outgoing Gov. Ed Rendell did this…

Commentary

Read More: The Pot of Debt at the End of Rendell’s Rainbow