Handling change in normative specifications

Normative frameworks provide a means to address the governance of open systems, by offering a mechanism to express responsibilities and permissions of the individual participants with respect to the entire system without compromising their autonomy. Careful design is crucial if it is to meet its requirements. Tools that support the design process can be of great benefit. In this paper, we describe a method for choosing the appropriate change in the normative specification, using impact analysis of the critical consequences being preserved or rejected by the change.