Controlling International Organisations: How States Use Control Mechanisms to Minimise Agency Losses

The Principal-Agent literature has extensively discussed why and how states have delegated power to international organisations. However, there are few studies that systematically compare how states use control mechanisms to minimize agency losses. In order to close this research gap, in this paper we compare two oversight mechanisms in the post-delegation process: monitoring and reporting requirements, which include police patrol and fire alarm oversight mechanisms; and institutional checks and balances, such as the role of courts and parliaments. Empirical evidence is provided by comparing how these control mechanisms work in practice in the EU, NATO, WTO, and WHO.