Policy termination is rare for it is a difficult process. I need to examine: Why some policies are more susceptible to Policy Termination?
For this I am expected to use the Policy Dismantling Framework developed by Bauer and Knill (in the book Dismantling Public Policies Preferences, Strategies and Effects publish in 2012). This framework uses policy outputs as depends variable to distinguish policy termination from other forms of policy change, such as policy expansion and policy dismantling. Furthermore, the framework considers four factors that lead to a particular dismantling strategy by political actors, which in turn leads has effects on policy outputs. These factors the framework expands on are: external factors, institutional constraints and opportunities, issue-specific conditions, politicians meta-preference for re-election and their perceived political costs and benefits. The Policy Dismantling Framework does not need to be examined for the assignment. The assignment is to apply the Policy Dismantling Framework to cases of Policy Termination/Dismantling, and to examine to what extent there is policy termination or policy dismantling and which factors played a key role.
For each case a summary of the background must first be given (i.e. when the policy was introduced major changes over the years and eventually the termination or most recent major change). After given a short background the analysis should be give. The analysis should examine the degree of policy change by examining policy density, instrument density, substantial intensity and formal intensity (see uploaded file). By examining these elements it should be determined whether it is a case of dismantling or termination. The analysis must also examine key factors that played a role in the termination/dismantling process (political actors, electoral cycle, cost benefit analysis, prevailing ideology etc.). One must also examine which strategies politicians used to dismantle/terminate (look at uploaded file).
Five cases were chosen:
First, the abolishment of the EPA in the US by President Trump (the background on the EPA can be limited to when Trump was in Office). Second, the attempted termination of the student-grant policy in the Netherlands (back in 2007) which resulted in a student-loan system in 2015.
Third, the abolishment of tuition fees in Germany (in 2014).
Fourth, the abolishment of the Don\’t Ask Don\’t tell Policy in the US (in 2011).
Fifth, the change of China\’s One Child policy.
Some definitions:
* Policy change is defined as any departure from status quo (Knill and Tosun, 2012, p. 260).
* Policy dismantling is a kind of policy change characterized by a diminishing number of policies in a particular policy field, or the reduction of the number of policy instruments and/or lowering of their intensity (Bauer and Knill, 2012, p. 35).
* Policy termination is a kind of policy change characterized by the end of governments commitments in a specific policy field illustrated by the abolishment of policies, and with it all the attached policy instruments (Jensen et al., 2014).
READ: The Policy Dismantling Framework in Book \”Dismantling Public policy: Preferences, Strategies and Effects\” by Bauer et al. published in 2012.
