In this first of two papers on rethinking British regional policy for the 1980s it is argued that British regional policy as conventionally practiced has now reached a state of crisis. Policies and programmes conceived and enacted under the circumstances of prior decades no longer match the special needs and problems created by changed conditions, and are wholly inadequate to deal with the difficulties currently facing the space economy and which seem likely to persist well into the present decade. A major recasting of regional policy is urgently required, together with a refocusing of policy priorities and objectives. The detailed discussion of specific policy options is the subject of a subsequent paper.
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