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Benjamin Veghte

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Research Director, Social Security Works

815 16th St. NW, Fourth Floor
Washington, District of Columbia 20006
Work: (202) 637-3985. Cell: (571) 345-4986

Expertise & Civic Involvements

Before joining Social Security Works, Veghte worked as Executive Director of the Scholars Strategy Network. Previously he worked at the National Academy of Social Insurance in Washington DC, where he conducted research on Social Security and unemployment insurance. From 1997 to 2008 he taught political science at the University of Bremen. Veghte has done research, teaching, and consulting on social policy in Europe and the United States, including work with the European Union.

SSN Briefs

Key Publications

  • "Social Security – Past, Present and Future" in Social Policy and Social Justice, edited by Michael Reisch (Sage, 2013), 309-346.
    Analyzes key features of the program and how they evolved, the role of Social Security in the economic security of various groups of Americans, the sources of the system's funding challenges, and reform options and their implications.
  • "Should Social Security’s Cost-of-Living Adjustment be Changed?," (with Virginia P. Reno, Thomas N. Bethell, and Elisa A. Walker), National Academy of Social Insurance, Washington, DC, April, 2011.
    Studies the consequences of shifting the basis of cost of living adjustment for Social Security to the chained Consumer Price Index – a change proposed by many recent deficit reduction commissions.
  • "Economic Status of the Aged" (with Virginia P. Reno, Thomas N. Bethell, and Elisa A. Walker), in Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, 7th edition, edited by Robert H. Binstock and Linda K. George (Elsevier, 2010), 175-192.
    Analyzes why American elders saw sharp gains in their incomes and declines in poverty during the 1960s and 1970s, while subsequent gains have been smaller; shows that U.S. elders are more likely to be poor than elders in other western countries.
  • "Strengthening Social Security for the Long Run," (with Janice M. Gregory, Thomas N. Bethell, and Virginia P. Reno), National Academy of Social Insurance, Washington, DC, November, 2010.
    Traces the long-term cuts in benefits flowing from Social Security reforms enacted in 1983, and documents strong public support for maintaining and improving the program.
  • "Social Policy Preferences, National Defense and Political Polarization in the United States" (with Greg M. Shaw and Robert Y. Shapiro), in Social Justice, Legitimacy and the Welfare State, edited by Steffen Mau and Benjamin Veghte (Ashgate, 2007), 145-168.
    Analyzes shifts in public preferences for spending on defense and social programs, and explores how Republicans successfully framed spending issues for the 2004 election.
  • Social Justice, Legitimacy and the Welfare State (with Steffen Mau) (Ashgate, 2007).
    Provides an overview of public opinion research on the legitimacy of social benefits and willingness to pay the taxes needed to finance them.

Media Contributions

Talks and Briefings

  • "Social Security Reform Options: How Can We Pay for What We Want?," (with Stephen Goss), Demystifying Social Security: Academy for Interns, Kaiser Family Foundation, Washington, DC, July 14, 2011.
  • "Social Security’s Finances," Latinos and Social Security, LULAC National Conference, Cincinnati, OH, June 30, 2011.
  • "Should Social Security’s Cost-of-Living Adjustment be Changed?," Capitol Visitor Center, Washington, DC, June 28, 2011.
  • "Social Security: Myths, Realities, and Future," “Latinos and Social Security” Panel, National Council of La Rasa Town Hall, Wilmington, DE, June 26, 2011.