Abstract

This paper investigates the intersection of hermeneutic philosophy and Inspiration Economy Labs practices, specifically examining how hermeneutic principles—the hermeneutic circle, fusion of horizons, and the role of pre-understanding—are operationalised within Inspiration Labs to address complex socio-economic problems. The study aims to explicate the interpretive foundations of Inspiration Labs methodology and demonstrate how processes of codification, classification, and stratification constitute a hermeneutic approach to problem-solving that enables the generalisation of solutions across diverse contexts.
The research employs an interpretive hermeneutic phenomenology design, consistent with the philosophical foundations under investigation. A multi-case study approach examines Inspiration Labs conducted across multiple countries (Bahrain, Bosnia, Morocco, India, Ghana, Mauritania) between 2015 and 2025, addressing diverse problem domains including poverty elimination, youth development, women's advancement, and public service reform. Analysis of lab documentation on published case studies, and video archives proceeds through three stages: within-case analysis applying the hermeneutic circle, cross-case pattern identification, and theoretical integration with Gadamerian hermeneutics.
The findings suggests that Inspiration Labs operationalize hermeneutic principles through three interconnected processes: (1) codification, which extracts fundamental problem constructs analogous to identifying textual units; (2) classification, which organizes these constructs into interpretive frameworks revealing relationships and patterns; and (3) stratification, which penetrates surface symptoms to uncover generative structures and hidden opportunities that leads to "inspiration currencies." 
The hermeneutic circle operates through iterative movement between problem parts and whole context, while the fusion of horizons manifests when diverse stakeholders (economists, sociologists, artists, community members) engage in dialogical meaning-making. Pre-understandings are systematically surfaced and suspended through techniques including "reverse thinking" and "making the familiar strange." The study further reveals that hermeneutic depth enables generalisation not through mechanical solution transfer but through the extraction of transferable insight—inspiration currencies that carry meaning across contexts while remaining attentive to local particularity. 
This paper makes several original contributions. First, it provides the first systematic explication of the hermeneutic foundations underlying Inspiration Economy practices, making explicit the interpretive principles implicit in Inspiration Labs' methodology. This make this work more on how of the classical hermeneutic concepts—traditionally applied to textual interpretation can be extended to socio-economic problem-solving, contributing to both hermeneutic theory and innovation methodology. The framework proposed offers an understanding of how generalisation occurs through in-depth interpretation, addressing a fundamental challenge in development practice. It bridges Western hermeneutic tradition with contemporary innovation methodology, creating theoretical resources for both scholars and practitioners.