Only basic democratic principles such as the rule of law and freedom of speech will make responsibility-related govern- ance effective and sustained over time. For this reason, the ability to make claims and to invoke legal or political means is a necessary condition for fostering responsibilisation in different organisational settings and arrangements. Enacting the aforementioned governance principles implies supporting individuals’ ability to think and act in a proactive way and under the rule of law. Actors should feel empowered by the appropriate organisational culture. A basic guiding question in this respect is: To what extent do the governance mechanisms reflect a commit- ment to democratic principles and allow actions under the rule of law?