Reassessing the concept of policy termination: the case of regional policy in England

The concept of policy termination is regaining currency as governments reassess policy commitments and budgets amidst the global financial and economic crisis. What factors affect the decision to terminate a specific policy? Are some policies more susceptible to termination than others? This article addresses these questions using a case study of regional policy in England where, following a change in UK government in 2010, the institutional and policy basis for regional economic policy has been overhauled. It assesses whether these changes amount to a case of policy termination and explores the factors that have influenced policy change. Based on one of the few non-US cases, it tests the validity of theoretical frameworks that have been employed for analysing, categorising and explaining policy termination and draws conclusions on the power of these frameworks to account sufficiently for the processes of policy change observed.