Delegation and Agency in International Organizations (Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521862094 ISBN 13: 9780521862097

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2006

Synopsis

Why do states delegate certain tasks and responsibilities to international organizations rather than acting unilaterally or cooperating directly? Furthermore, to what extent do states continue to control IOs once authority has been delegated? Examining a variety of different institutions including the World Trade Organization, the United Nations and the European Commission, this book explores the different methods that states employ to ensure their interests are being served, and identifies the problems involved with monitoring and managing IOs. The contributors suggest that it is not inherently more difficult to design effective delegation mechanisms at international level than at domestic level and, drawing on principal-agent theory, help explain the variations that exist in the extent to which states are willing to delegate to IOs. They argue that IOs are neither all evil nor all virtuous, but are better understood as bureaucracies that can be controlled to varying degrees by their political masters.

About this title

Book Description:

Why do governments increasingly delegate sovereign authority to international organizations and what are the consequences of such choices? This volume employs a broad range of empirical techniques to answer these questions and argues that the issues involved in controlling international bureaucracies are very similar to those faced in domestic politics.

About the Author:

Darren G. Hawkins is Associate Professor in the Political Science Department at Brigham Young University.

David A. Lake is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego.

Daniel L. Nielson is Associate Professor in the Political Science Department at Brigham Young University.

Michael J. Tierney is Assistant Professor in the Department of Government at The College of William & Mary.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0521862094
• ISBN 13: 9780521862097
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 428
• Editor: Hawkins Darren G., Lake David A., Nielson Daniel L., Tierney Michael J.