competence
n.Having the basic qualifications to perform a function.DiplomaticsThe mandate and authority given to an office or person to accomplish something.
Notes
Competence is not necessarily tied to responsibility. If a competent individual acts as an agent for another person, the person represented may be responsible for any action taken. For example, an archivist in a large repository may have competence to negotiate deeds of gift, but the responsibility for those deeds may lie with the repository's director.
Citations
Duranti 1998, p. 90, n. 10 Function1 and competence are a different order of the same thing. Function is the whole of the activities aimed to one purpose, considered abstractly. Competence is the authority and capacity of carrying out a determined sphere of activities within one function, attributed to a given office or an individual. . . . While a function is always abstract, a competence must be attached to a juridical person.
