Systematic Responsibility Transfer (SRT): A Theoretical Framework and Research Program

This preprint introduces Systematic Responsibility Transfer (SRT) as an integrative theoretical framework designed to decode a core paradox in modern governance: policies ostensibly designed to enhance well-being systematically shift administrative burdens, compliance costs, and decision-making risks onto individuals and households, thereby exacerbating the very inequalities they aim to alleviate. SRT posits that a key mechanism of contemporary social stratification is shifting from a focus on “resource allocation” to a systemic process of “responsibility allocation,” building on the foundational work on “responsibilisation” (Shamir, 2008; Peeters, 2013) while introducing a dedicated analytical apparatus. The framework consists of three interlocking core components: the Legitimacy Toolkit (discursive resources for legitimizing transfer), the PRD Causal Chain (Pressure-Response-Differentiation dynamic logic), and the Compensatory Capital Model (a differential filtering mechanism for responsibility consequences). From this architecture, three foundational, testable propositions are derived. This article declares the complete SRT theoretical framework. Related in-depth research, methodological tools, and empirical validation will be released as independent outputs.