Responsibility
A person or entity's share of the burden. Whether accepted or not.
How We Say It
ri·spon·si·bil·i·tee
Where It Comes From
Latin respondere — to answer, to respond. From re- (back) + spondere (to pledge). To be responsible was originally to be answerable — to have an obligation to give an account. The moral weight came through the legal sense.
How It's Been Used
Personal responsibility and systemic responsibility are the two poles of most social policy debates. 'Take responsibility' addressed to an individual; 'systemic responsibility' pointed at institutions. Which frame applies determines what counts as a solution.