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policy instruments. To detail how the transformational change
towards a circular economy is put into practice at a regional level,
I describe in chapter 5 the case of the Amsterdam Metropolitan
Area. For this case I served as a transition broker and adopted
network governance.
3.7 The Merits of Network Governance
Network governance is an indispensable addition to the
conventional public governance I have so far described.
Traditionally, the government’s role as protector of the common
good — here safeguarding the liveability of Planet Earth now
and in the future — is to formulate rules that the market and
society are supposed to follow. Through the deployment of
policy instruments, the government can steer change towards
desired directions and facilitate compliance by stakeholders. This
conventional governance model does not suffice for the complex
transition towards a circular economy, especially not in Western
democracies. Network governance is needed to get everybody on
board, thereby helping put a circular economy into practice. In a
growing number of countries, a bottom-up movement includes all
kinds of germs of renewal, which generate an inspiring environment
to reconsider our current consumption and production patterns.
In all kinds of practices, frontrunners emerge and demonstrate
that the circular economy is in reach. These stand-alone initiatives
add up to a movement that grows in size and strength, particularly
when they join forces. Network governance can facilitate this
process.
The importance of network governance is often underestimated,
particularly due to its unfamiliarity. When putting network
governance into practice, confusion arises among stakeholders
about their particular roles and responsibilities. So what do we
have to do differently, and why? We are so used to operating in a
traditional division of roles, that we fail to realise that adopting this
model is also part of the transition towards a circular economy.
All stakeholders must redefine their roles and responsibilities to