Our policy research function is manifested in policy papers stressing that government in Pennsylvania - and government leaders in the Commonwealth - should focus on accountability, efficiency, and responsibility in providing government services and in public service.

Read Policy Papers

Our 30 minute television production is seen on cable channels across the Commonwealth. The program provides insights into current events affecting Pennsylvanians, such as the economy, health care, taxes, the environment, schools, and how taxpayer money is being spent.

Watch Behind the Headlines

Various productions are available online as video or audio programs. Topics include PA History Makers, public policy and more.

View Other Media


The Susquehanna Valley Center for Public Policy's Mission

The Susquehanna Valley Center for Public Policy is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit public policy research organization that stresses that government in Pennsylvania - and government leaders in the Commonwealth - should focus on accountability, efficiency, and responsibility in providing government services and in public service. The Center places special emphasis on free market principles, the role of servanthood, and the responsibilities of citizenship that form the foundation of our political structure.

Recent Additions to our Policy Papers

Townships Demand Immediate Leadership from State to Address Volunteer Firefighter Crisis

By Shirl Barnhart, Immediate Past President, PA State Association of Township Supervisors on

The volunteer fire company is a long and cherished tradition in our commonwealth, dating back to 1736 when Ben Franklin founded the nation’s first all-volunteer force to fight blazes in Philadelphia. For nearly three centuries, communities have relied on volunteer fire companies to protect property and save lives. Today, this volunteer model is in jeopardy.   […]

Constitution Day Should Be Prominent Among Our Civic Celebrations

By David Atkinson, Associate, Susquehanna Valley Center's Edward H. Arnold Institute for Policy Studies on

As much as present day politics seem in nasty turbulence, there have been more tumultuous times in our national experience.  The recently marked 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a grim reminder.  His passion and moral clarity for civil rights and equal justice have taken on even greater meaning […]

Will The State Supreme Court Next Impose An Education Funding Map?

By David A. Atkinson, Associate of The Susquehanna Valley Center's Edward H. Arnold Institute for Policy Studies on

             That the reconstituted Democrat-controlled state Supreme Court would invalidate the Republican-crafted congressional district lines approved in 2011 was not a complete shock to political observers.  Nor was it altogether surprising that the justices would then dictate parameters of their preferred remedy.  But arrogating responsibility for imposing a new map, in conflict with language in […]

Youth Deserve Ability To Make An Informed Decision About Their Future

By Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Snow on

Unfortunately, the growing divide between the military and society was apparent in February when a teacher’s inaccurate and misinformed statements about the quality of America’s armed forces made national headlines. As a U.S. Army officer for more than 30 years, I can tell you our nation’s military services are among the most respected organizations in […]