ABSTRACT
The perspectives of institutional innovation and the experimental action perspectives of philosophical pragmatism conceptualize the legitimacy and effectuation of public action in highly divergent ways. As this book explores the potential of co-evolution of these different orientations, it is crucial to understand the differences first. Both streams of thought have a long historic record in social sciences, but the underlying rationalities of institutional and pragmatist thought have proved difficult to integrate. Explaining these differences is the aim of this chapter, informed by the conceptualizations of the precursors.
