TY - JOUR

T1 - Towards more effective and transferable transition experiments

T2 - learning through stratification

AU - Engler, John-Oliver

AU - Zimmermann, Heike

AU - Lang, Daniel J.

AU - Feller, Robert

AU - Wehrden, Henrik

PY - 2019/11/1

Y1 - 2019/11/1

N2 - We argue that the increasing use of experimental approaches in transition and transformational research on potential sustainability solutions could substantially profit from application of the principles of stratification and stratified experimental design. We illustrate our proposition with three worked examples of hypothetical transition experiments and argue that the use of stratification can produce three essential benefits in transition experiments: (1) increased methodological validity and better comparability of experimental results, (2) potential scalability of sustainability solutions tested, and (3) better assessment of potential transferability of sustainability solutions to other systems. Moreover, stratification and stratified design of transition experiments might be employed to address some of the recently raised criticisms regarding reproducibility of results and the appropriate use of statistical methodology in scientific experimentation in general and transition experimentation in particular.

AB - We argue that the increasing use of experimental approaches in transition and transformational research on potential sustainability solutions could substantially profit from application of the principles of stratification and stratified experimental design. We illustrate our proposition with three worked examples of hypothetical transition experiments and argue that the use of stratification can produce three essential benefits in transition experiments: (1) increased methodological validity and better comparability of experimental results, (2) potential scalability of sustainability solutions tested, and (3) better assessment of potential transferability of sustainability solutions to other systems. Moreover, stratification and stratified design of transition experiments might be employed to address some of the recently raised criticisms regarding reproducibility of results and the appropriate use of statistical methodology in scientific experimentation in general and transition experimentation in particular.

KW - Sustainability Science

KW - experimental design

KW - transition experiment

KW - statistical testing

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85073614446&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s11625-019-00663-2

DO - 10.1007/s11625-019-00663-2

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 14

SP - 1503

EP - 1514

JO - Sustainability Science

JF - Sustainability Science

SN - 1862-4065

IS - 6

ER -