Barriers to Knowledge Acquisition, Transfer and Management in Regional Knowledge Economy Development

A key characteristic of a knowledge economy is the shift from an economy dominated by tangible assets to one that is based on intangible, knowledge-based assets, which consist primarily of human capital and innovation. The success of a regional knowledge economy is, in turn, measured by its ability to attract and retain companies that focus on the production, dissemination and application of knowledge, and on the provision of services that involve the efforts of knowledge workers. Two factors that are linked to a thriving regional knowledge economy that is capable of both continuous learning and innovation are the sustainability of human capital for a knowledge workforce and the sustainability of inter-organizational knowledge transfers. As such, a research program was undertaken to identify and analyze the challenges for human capital and inter-organizational knowledge transfer in service to learning and innovation, towards the goal of regional economic development.