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.”

State Budget

Return of Pennsylvania Legislature’s Reserves?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 18, 2008

An audit of the General Assembly found there is $200 million in legislative surplus, and called for most of it to be returned to the taxpayers who paid for…

Media

Read More: Return of Pennsylvania Legislature’s Reserves?

Public Union Democracy

Taxes, Union Bailouts, and “Crybabies”

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 17, 2008

Every other Tuesday, Matt Brouillette hosts The Politics of Business on Pittsburgh Renaissance Radio on WMNY 1360 AM from 2-6pm. This week he tackled a variety of issues that rankled at…

Media

Read More: Taxes, Union Bailouts, and “Crybabies”

Education

School Choice Benefits Students and Taxpayers

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 17, 2008

Bob Maranto is featured in the Inquirer today writing on why Philadelphia needs charter schools: The academic data provided by No Child Left Behind…

Media

Read More: School Choice Benefits Students and Taxpayers

Regulation

Smoking ban is bad for business, say casinos

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 17, 2008

Pennsylvania’s slots casinos are complaining that the recently enacted state smoking ban is hurting their revenues (we told you so) and are asking that their exemption be increased…

Media

Read More: Smoking ban is bad for business, say casinos

Taxes & Economy

Big Government Leads to Corrupt Government

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 17, 2008

John Stossel has a good article on Townhall today on Blagoevich, the bailout, and public choice theory The Public Choice economists remind us that contrary to what…

Media

Read More: Big Government Leads to Corrupt Government

Taxes & Economy

Buchanan: GOP should embrace xenophobia, not economics

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 16, 2008

Pat Buchanan on Townhall.com calls for an automakers bailout based on xenophobia and on repeating the mistakes of the past, rather than sound economic policy. Is…

Media

Read More: Buchanan: GOP should embrace xenophobia, not economics

Taxes & Economy

Ten Problems with a Federal Bailout of the States

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 15, 2008

Chris Edwards has an article in National Review Online on why a bailout of the states is bad policy.  Here are his top ten reasons. 1. The federal government…

Media

Read More: Ten Problems with a Federal Bailout of the States

Taxes & Economy

Bigger Government is no Stimulus

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 15, 2008

Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute has a great video on why government spending has, and will, fail to “stimulate” the economy. The evidence detailed by Mitchell…

Media

Read More: Bigger Government is no Stimulus

Taxes & Economy

Happy Bill of Rights Day

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 15, 2008

Today is the 318th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights Institute has some resources, as does The Examiner.

Media

Read More: Happy Bill of Rights Day

State Budget

Earmarks Galore

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 13, 2008

Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn has a new report on the most outrageous examples of federal spending.  Some of the top examples, courtesy of the Center for Fiscal Accountability:…

Media

Read More: Earmarks Galore

Regulation

Pennsylvania school employees pension costs to quadruple in 4 years

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 12, 2008

The Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS) at their meeting today certified a small increase in the employers’ (re: taxpayers) contribution rate – from the current 4.76% to…

Media

Read More: Pennsylvania school employees pension costs to quadruple in 4 years

Taxes & Economy

Stop the Bailout of the States

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 12, 2008

ALEC has a new page opposing a federal taxpayer bailout of the state, including the letter from a coalition of groups. They currently collecting names of state legislators…

Media

Read More: Stop the Bailout of the States

Taxes & Economy

US Auto Sales by Manufacturer

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 12, 2008

I thought I’d post this data on US car sales (new car and light truck) by brand, since it took a while to find. The data is available at…

Media

Read More: US Auto Sales by Manufacturer

Taxes & Economy

Big 3 Bailout vs. Free Market Solution

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 11, 2008

In his blog today, John Micek offers some criticism of Mark Hendrickson’s commentary on the auto-makers bailout, which we ran today.  Micek points to the lack of “solutions”…

Media

Read More: Big 3 Bailout vs. Free Market Solution

Taxes & Economy

Cutting Taxes Better Stimulus than Government Spending

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 11, 2008

With all the push for more government spending (at both the state and federal level) to “stimulate the economy”, readers should take a look at new research highlighted…

Media

Read More: Cutting Taxes Better Stimulus than Government Spending

Regulation

Pennsylvania completes study of things to buy me for Christmas

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 10, 2008

OK, the study isn’t on things to buy me for Christmas, but the Joint State Government Commission completed a study on Violent Interactive Video Games.  Some of the games…

Media

Read More: Pennsylvania completes study of things to buy me for Christmas

Taxes & Economy

The auto bailout is a blood transfusion for a dying patient

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 10, 2008

David Leonhardt has a good article in the New York Times explaining why the “Big 3 Automakers” have higher labor costs than Honda, Toyota, et. al.  Greater fringe benefits…

Media

Read More: The auto bailout is a blood transfusion for a dying patient

Education

Failing Science

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 10, 2008

The Patriot News has a story on the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s news release that almost two-thirds of Pennsylvania’s 11th grade students are not proficient in science.  The…

Media

Read More: Failing Science

Regulation

Where to Find WAMs

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 9, 2008

I have gotten a couple of requests today for lists of WAMs and other recent spending. We put together a list of recent grants the Governor has awarded/announced in…

Media

Read More: Where to Find WAMs

Taxes & Economy

No tax increases

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 9, 2008

President Pro Tem (and now Pennsylvania Lt. Governor, though the former role has more relevance) Joe Scarnati has take a strong stance against any tax increase in the Pittsburgh…

Media

Read More: No tax increases