ABSTRACT
The competitive advantage of regions is closely tied to the availability of information, the dynamics of knowledge creation and the capacity of actors and groups within that region to convert knowledge into strategic action (Castells 2005; Gibbons et al. 1994; Henriksen and Halkier 2009). This view tends to focus attention on private firms and their capacity to disassemble and reassemble new hybrid knowledge resources that can in turn generate competitive advantage. While this line of research provides useful insights into how firms can build and leverage new knowledge, an important but often overlooked dimension of knowledge dynamics, innovation and competitiveness is that the implementation of actions are often constrained by complex policy environments (OECD 2012). For example, in tourism, tightly bound sector-specific policy networks or silos have frequently been identified as factors that stymie industry innovation or progress towards sustainability (OECD 2010).
