Policy termination: a conceptual framework and application to the local public hospital context

The improvement of government performance requires that government carry out periodical reviews of its policies and terminate those that are inefficient and ineffective. The existing literature nevertheless reveals that the termination process has been severely understudied. The paucity of knowledge has left many important questions unanswered, thus limiting our capability to evaluate and guide government reforms. The consequence is most acutely perceived at a time when governments are struggling to do more with less and more terminations are expected to take place.