Responsanalyses

Responsanalyses is a methodological framework used to analyse responsibility allocation and accountability within complex systems. It combines normative analysis with empirical mapping to determine who bears responsibility for particular outcomes, how responsibility is distributed among actors, and what governance measures can improve accountability.

The term appears across disciplines such as ethics, law, risk management, and systems engineering. It is concerned not only with causation but with contributory responsibility, moral accountability, and legal liability, taking into account structural factors like organizational design, information flows, and power dynamics that influence outcomes.

A typical responsanalysis proceeds by framing the outcome of interest, identifying relevant agents and processes, modelling causal pathways, evaluating normative standards of responsibility, and attributing levels of responsibility. It also assesses factors such as foreseeability and control, and it recommends governance or design changes to reduce undesirable results. Methods commonly used include causal mapping, stakeholder analysis, and normative theory.

Applications span corporate governance, public policy evaluation, AI and automated systems, healthcare safety, and environmental management. Responsanalyses can support accountability mechanisms, risk mitigation, and ethical decision-making by clarifying who is responsible, for what, and under which conditions.

Critics note that assigning responsibility can be subjective and culturally variable, risking blame-shifting or oversimplification. Proponents argue that explicit responsanalyses, when based on transparent criteria and inclusive processes, enhance governance, transparency, and systemic learning by making responsibilities and dependencies visible. See also accountability, liability, ethics in engineering.