The role of the State in new governance: reinventing government ... again?

New environmental governance (NEG) gains momentum in addressing complex environmental problems. One of its bedrock principles is collaboration between state and non-state actors. Yet, what exactly does this collaboration look like? In scratching a bit deeper under the surface of the NEG literature it becomes clear that state actors often play specific and leading roles in NEG - e.g. they are repeatedly found to initiate, facilitate, or orchestrate collaboration. Current theorizing on NEG considers such state involvement in NEG a necessary condition of NEG success. Yet, the actual role of the state in NEG is currently undertheorized. Building on a series of unique cases from the Australian, Dutch, Singapore, and Malysian buildings sectors this research essay aims (i) to better understand the role of state actors in NEG, and, (ii ) to gain insight into the impact of state actors on the outcomes of NEG.