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.”
Government Accountability
Fact Checking Special Interests’ Attack on Natural Gas
Misinformation spewed continually at Common Cause’s press conference on natural gas campaign contributions (see CF News Release) held today at the Capital. Here are…
Media
Read More: Fact Checking Special Interests’ Attack on Natural GasHealth Care
Obama Concedes CF was Right About Slacker Mandate
I hate to toot my own horn (wink wink), but a few months ago, I wrote that a “slacker mandate” included in the federal health care bill would fail…
Media
Read More: Obama Concedes CF was Right About Slacker MandateEducation
PA School Districts Have $2.5 Billion in Reserves
PA Independent highlights the $2.5 billion school districts have in reserve accounts – $1.8 billion in “undesignated reserves.” To put that it lay terms – it’s a lot of…
Media
Read More: PA School Districts Have $2.5 Billion in ReservesTaxes & Economy
Talking Transportation Funding
PA Independent’s Eric Boehm talks with State Rep. Rick Geist about Pennsylvania transportation funding in their latest podcast. For more info on transportation funding, check out our…
Media
Read More: Talking Transportation FundingGovernment Accountability
CF In the Blogs
Here’s who’s blogging about the Commonwealth Foundation in the past week: Page 13 News, Capitol Ideas, GrassrootsPA, and Capitol Punmanship all make…
Media
Read More: CF In the BlogsTaxes & Economy
An Arizona-like Immigration Law for PA?
Following Arizona’s recent enactment of a law intended to enforce federal illegal immigration laws, Pennsylvania State Representative Daryl Metcalfe has introduced similar legislation. The law would force employers…
Media
Read More: An Arizona-like Immigration Law for PA?Public Union Democracy
State & Local Fiscal Reforms
Chris Edwards of the Cato Institute recently presented a paper to the Federal Reserve of St. Louis on state and local government fiscal reforms. Edward’s four main themes were:…
Media
Read More: State & Local Fiscal ReformsState Budget
Help Stop a Tax Increase in Pennsylvania
Citizens Against Government Waste has a new action alert about proposed tax hikes in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania already has the highest Corporate Net Income Tax rate in the world,…
Media
Read More: Help Stop a Tax Increase in PennsylvaniaHealth Care
PA Senate Passes High Risk Pool Legislation
The Pennsylvania Senate on Monday passed Sen. Mike Folmer’s high risk pool legislation. The bill, SB 507, would create a pool for insurance companies to provide coverage to…
Media
Read More: PA Senate Passes High Risk Pool LegislationRegulation
Taxing Wind?
Here is one tax proposal I am stunned Gov. Rendell has yet to copy – Wyoming Governor Freudenthal has proposed a tax on wind power. Of course, it would…
Media
Read More: Taxing Wind?Education
Celebrating School Choice
Yesterday the REACH Alliance held the 9th annual birthday party for Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit – see story here – in which hundreds of students and parents showed…
Media
Read More: Celebrating School ChoiceState Budget
Big Brother Want Your Back Taxes
Pennsylvania’s latest Orwellian tax amnesty ad – with “We Know Who You Are” – has been making the rounds. Reason, Cato Institute, and Grassroots PA all blog…
Media
Read More: Big Brother Want Your Back TaxesState Budget
Rendell vs. Rendell on New Taxes
Here is a quote from Gov. Rendell, from way back in February in his budget address, discussing the new taxes he was proposing: I want to be crystal clear…
Media
Read More: Rendell vs. Rendell on New TaxesState Budget
Maybe Gov. Rendell Needs to Listen to Different Advisers
Pennsylvania has a massive state budget hole, and it can be chalked up to one cause – listening to the wrong people. Gov. Rendell put his faith in folks at…
Media
Read More: Maybe Gov. Rendell Needs to Listen to Different Advisers
This is Civil Discourse?
On May 8, the Commonwealth Foundation is hosting an event, LiveFreePA, to celebrate the freedoms government in Washington and Harrisburg are threatening, including personal freedoms such as…
Media
Read More: This is Civil Discourse?Government Accountability
Does Legislative Size Matter?
Good morning. I am Nathan Benefield, Director of Policy Research for the Commonwealth Foundation. We are a nonprofit, independent public policy research and educational institute based in Harrisburg. I…
Testimony
Read More: Does Legislative Size Matter?Government Accountability
21 Reasons Free-Market Think Tanks are Effective
Is it certainly self-serving of me to say this, but here is an excellent article by a former think tank CEO giving 21 reasons think tanks are more effective…
Media
Read More: 21 Reasons Free-Market Think Tanks are EffectiveRegulation
Talking Liquor Store Privatization
Eric Boehm of PA Independent interviews state representative Mike Turzai on his proposal to privatize all state-owned liquor stores and auction off licenses. Here is a story with…
Media
Read More: Talking Liquor Store PrivatizationHealth Care
Devasting Critique of New Health Care Law
John Goodman offers a fine summary of a devastating critique of ObamaCare, produced by … the Obama Administration: Health care costs will go up, not…
Media
Read More: Devasting Critique of New Health Care LawTaxes & Economy
PA Needs Infinity Dollars to Repair Roads
The Tribune Review has a story that transportation advocates are now claiming that Pennsylvania needs $3 billion in additional revenue per year just to keep roads and bridges up…
Media
Read More: PA Needs Infinity Dollars to Repair RoadsRegulation
Numbers Guy: Effects of Smokeless Tobacco Products Overblown
The Wall Street Journal’s “Numbers Guy” takes a look at the effects of smokeless tobacco. Many supporters of a tobacco tax use the argument that it would provide public…
Media
Read More: Numbers Guy: Effects of Smokeless Tobacco Products Overblown