Factoring in Agent Characteristics.

Principal-agent approaches have traditionally focused on principal preferences and control mechanisms to explain delegation and agency slack. We argue that agent characteristics are also important variables that influence both agent slack and principal choices to re-delegate or do something else. In particular, agent resources, legitimacy, institutional permeability, and ceremonial structures are the most important characteristics. Some of these features are designed by principals, others evolve in unexpected ways and still others are the result of agent activity. Agent characteristics are especially important where the costs of creating new agents are high and the supply of agents is limited. We illustrate these arguments with case studies of the European Commission, international human rights courts, and UN humanitarian agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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