Beyond linearity: conjunctural dynamics of sustainability-oriented policy innovation in coastal tourism governance

Purpose This study advances beyond linear models by developing a contextually grounded configurational framework with clearly defined scope conditions, limiting its applicability to coastal tourism destinations experiencing complex socio-political and environmental change. It explains how sustainability-driven policy innovations emerge in these settings, reconceptualising such innovation as a conjunctural socio-political process and identifying equifinal causal configurations that generate local revitalisation outcomes in context-specific ways that acknowledge both contextual boundedness and potential transferability to comparable settings. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design is employed, using Chabahar, Iran, as a critical case. The qualitative phase, guided by grounded theory principles encompassing iterative data collection, constant comparison and theoretical sampling alongside open, axial and selective coding, identifies key antecedent conditions from interview, focus group and documentary data. These conditions are subsequently analysed via fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to uncover causal configurations. The theoretical lens integrates policy design, governance, institutional and resilience perspectives through a conjunctural synthesis that elucidates their interdependent interactions in shaping sustainability-oriented policy outcomes. Findings Consistent with the configurational logic of fsQCA, no single condition is sufficient for effective innovation. Revitalisation outcomes, operationalised through job creation and community empowerment, are triggered by three distinct equifinal pathways representing synergistic formations of adaptive governance architectures, institutionalised socio-ecological responsibility and activated community-entrepreneurial capabilities. The findings demonstrate that sustainable innovation is a negotiated process shaped by institutional learning and governance coordination. Practical implications The study offers policymakers and destination managers a practical diagnostic tool, highlighting the importance of developing adaptable, participatory governance structures that can strategically coordinate institutional reforms, community engagement and environmental management in tailored ways. As a case-based configurational study, the findings are specific to the coastal destination studied but offer a transferable framework for comparative analysis in similar complex destination settings. Originality/value The study's primary contribution is a novel configurational framework that reveals the equifinal, conjunctural nature of policy innovation within its specified scope conditions. Rather than proposing an entirely new theory, this framework identifies and empirically validates a contextual and situational arrangement of key conditions drawn from established theoretical traditions, providing a diagnostic architecture for understanding how these conditions combine to enable sustainable transitions in complex coastal systems.