[A tripartite model].

Abstract

This chapter provides an introduction and overview of the Tripartite Model of group duties. It opens by giving some real-world examples of attributions of duties to groups. It then provides an overview of the Tripartite Model, which is designed to assess and guide such attributions. This is the model that will be defended and detailed in later chapters. The chapter differentiates the issue of group duties from the issues of group causal responsibility and group moral retrospective responsibility. The three categories of the Tripartite Model—combinations, coalitions, and collectives—are described. Finally, the chapter elaborates on the book’s conception of duties and the range of questions that the Tripartite Model aims to answer.