Navigating context in experiments: The “real,” the roots, the rationale

Experiments are heralded as beacons of hope for transformative change. But how effective can ephemeral micro-interventions be in achieving comprehensive structural change? This question is particularly relevant for non-technological experiments that are typically more place-bound than their technology-oriented counterparts. We argue that non-technological experiments may very well be impactful endeavors, but that knowledge and reflexivity about their contexts are key capacities for realizing their potential. Based on the literature, we define three context dimensions: structural conditions, political-institutional embedding, and imagined eco-social futures. By empirically delving into Graetzlmarie, an impactful governance experiment in Vienna, we show how “navigating context” in all the three dimensions has been a key capacity for the experiment’s success. It enabled adapting practices, self-conceptions, and objectives to specific but varying contexts, herewith ensuring the experiment’s impactful realization. Given the uneven distribution of such knowledge among actors in transformation processes, we discuss what this implies for experimentation. We argue for coordinating actors that serve as knowledge brokers and intermediaries between institutionalized policy and planning and ephemeral micro-interventions to achieve eco-social transformation.