Governance for health describes the attempts of governments and other actors to steer communities, whole countries or even groups of countries in the pursuit of health as integral to well-being. This study tracks recent governance innovations to address the priority determinants of health and categorizes them into five strategic approaches to smart governance for health. It relates the emergence of joint action by the health sector and non-health sectors, by public and private actors and by citizens, all of whom have an increasing role to play in achieving seminal changes in 21st-century societies.