The question of the appropriate level of governmental intervention is arguably more
contentious, but in effect the choices boil down to three main possibilities: supranational,
national and sub-national (e.g. regional and/or local). What happens in any
particular country tends to be dictated largely by history, politics and constitutional
arrangements and these can change over time. In the UK, for instance, the absence (until
recently) of a regional system of government has meant that the focus of governmental
action has traditionally been at national and local level, with national government
responsible for regional aspects of policy and for delegating authority to local government
to promote local economic development