Reflections and insights from the special feature on State-reinforced adaptive and transformative governance

Scientific interest in adaptive and transformative governance has accelerated as social scientists have come to recognize that sustainability problems and dilemmas emerge from the dynamic interaction of complex social-ecological systems. A growing need and desire exists to understand the contextual and institutional factors that contribute to adaptive and transformative capacity, as well as societal decision-making, problem-solving, and innovation. Governments and governance play important roles, but these roles are complex and insufficiently understood to guide public policy and institutional design. This gap hinders the ability of societies and their stakeholders to design and maintain effective governance systems to achieve social-ecological resilience and sustainable development. The current special feature sought to inform and bridge this gap, using the concept of State-reinforced self-governance as a conceptual and analytical lens. This editorial synthesizes observations from the empirical case studies, highlighting important lessons learned, challenges, and future opportunities.