---
slug: "Burdenlight"
name: "Burdenlight"
type: "Governance"
layer: "Society"
ref: "Burdenlight#ce67"
sema_id: "sema:Burdenlight#mh:SHA-256:ce67b135689d54cef000c6ac0e038e71a956b7b508b0a64df7de6ddf4f559320"
tags: ["Society","Governance"]
updated: 2026-11-11
mindscape: "bootstrap"
index_url: https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/index.json
url: https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Burdenlight/
related: ["TradeOff","Absentseat","OpportunityCost#7f52"]
---

# Burdenlight

List who bears the costs of a decision and who receives its benefits, and say where they differ

Layer: Society · Category: Governance

## Mechanism

Before a decision is taken, its costs are listed by who bears them and its benefits by who receives them, extending the [TradeOff](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/TradeOff.md) with who pays. Where the two lists name different parties, the decision record says so.

## Invariants

- Costs are listed with the parties who bear them.
- Benefits are listed with the parties who receive them.
- Where cost bearers and beneficiaries differ, the record states it.

## Failure modes

- Hidden payer: costs fall on parties the analysis never names.
- Netting blur: costs and benefits are netted, so their distribution disappears.

## Builds on

- [TradeOff](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/TradeOff.md) (Mind; References)

## Used by

—

## Identity

- Sema ID: `sema:Burdenlight#mh:SHA-256:ce67b135689d54cef000c6ac0e038e71a956b7b508b0a64df7de6ddf4f559320`
- Ref: `Burdenlight#ce67`

## Links

- [Pattern page](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Burdenlight/)
- [View in the interactive graph](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/#Burdenlight)
- [JSON](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Burdenlight.json)
- [Index of all patterns](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/index.json)