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.”
Education
School choice leads to less segregation
Contrary to the rhetoric of many opponents of school choice, two new studies from the Milton & Rose Friedman Foundation shows that private schools participating in the voucher programs…
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Household Income Analysis
Interesting note by the The Tax Foundation on recent household income data. While a recent Census Report indicates that real median household income (adjusted for inflation) has declined since…
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The best education reform: More sleep.
Wall Street Journal editorial on why schools should start their days later. I’ve never considered this from a policy point of view, but I know that for 13 years,…
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SAT Scores and PA Schools
SAT Scores Nationally, scores dropped, primarily attributed to a change in the test format. Pennsylania continues to lag behind, ranking 47th in the nation in average combined SAT score.
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Tax Credits for Health Care
While Pennsylvania lawmakers discuss mandating universal health care coverage, a Census Bureau report indicates fewer people are receiving health insurance from their employers, and more are paying for…
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Soak the Poor
Analysis of how not “extending the Bush tax cuts” (i.e. raising taxes dramatically in 2011) would hurt low- and moderate-income familes from Investors Business Daily, summarize here by…
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Economic Benefit of Wal-Mart
Op-Ed by Robert Samuleson in today’s Washington Post on how Wal-Mart’s low-price policies benefit all Americans – doing a much better job controlling inflation than the Federal Reserve. “A…
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Reveal Health Care Costs
Health care pricing – the only good or service I can think of where you don’t learn the price until the bill comes – may be changing. USA Today…
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Ending Teacher strikes
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review weighs in on how best to end teacher strikes in PA.
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Fines for Sex without a License
Legislation proposed by State Rep. Keith McCall would require prospective massage therapists to take 600 hours of classroom training, have instruction in CPR and HIV, pass an exam, and…
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Pa. bureaucracy pursues a love of licensing
Read Commonwealth Foundation intern Stephen Albert’s commentary on the regulation of economic freedom in today’s York Dispatch.
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Read More: Pa. bureaucracy pursues a love of licensingRegulation
The 1% Solution
Read Commonwealth Foundation senior fellow Rick Dreyfuss’s latest commentary on senate health care cost sharing in today’s Patriot News.
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Rendell-conomics
According to News Release from the Governor, he has revitalized local communities by locating state offices in downtown locations. Apparently the key to economic growth is bigger state government…
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Legislative leaders need a diet
A must-watch story from KDKA exposing how many legislators leaders take $141 per-diem for “lodging and meals” every day they are in Harrisburg, then charge taxpayers for catering or…
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Taller people are smarter
Groundbreaking study shows that taller people are smarter. I will cite this study frequently when debating people shorter than I.
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How to fix our road
A book released from the Independent Institute discusses various options for transportation agencies to privatize, outsource, and use market incentives for road repairs and usage.
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The Benefits of Health Savings Accounts
Data from Americans for Tax Reform shows that since the creation of Health Savings Accounts (January 2004) the annual growth in health care costs slowed, and health care costs…
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Subsidy Economics 101
Cato Institute commentary on why government subsidies have made housing, health care, and education more expensive for twenty-somethings. “According to data from the College Board, over the past 20…
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Transportation Funding Study
A PennDot commission released a report on funding for transporation titled “Addressing Pennsylvania’s Transporation Funding Crisis” (they identify a funding “crisis” because of too little taxpayer funding for transportation,…
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$13,000 fees for new homes?
The Patriot News reports on a PA House committee hearing on charging impact fees on new homes – of $13,000 per home – in growing areas. Why would we…
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Read More: $13,000 fees for new homes?Government Accountability
Potential Effects of Reducing the Size of the Pennsylvania General Assembly
One of the most discussed legislative reforms in Harrisburg is a reduction in the size of the General Assembly. One version of this proposal, SB 890, sponsored by Sen. John…
Fact Sheet
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