KUKU

KU ScholarWorks

  • myKU
  • Email
  • Enroll & Pay
  • KU Directory
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   KU ScholarWorks
    • Dissertations and Theses
    • Theses
    • View Item
    •   KU ScholarWorks
    • Dissertations and Theses
    • Theses
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Principal-Agent Theory and the EU: Evaluating a Changing Relationship

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    Shelton_ku_0099M_12882_DATA_1.pdf (668.2Kb)
    Issue Date
    2013-08-31
    Author
    Shelton, Michael
    Publisher
    University of Kansas
    Format
    72 pages
    Type
    Thesis
    Degree Level
    M.A.
    Discipline
    Political Science
    Rights
    This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    Principal-agent (PA) theory has been employed to characterize the relationship between states and the international organizations (IOs) that they are members of. While the European Union (EU) has been considered a model for this sort of relationship, the tendency of PA theory to provide a static account of principals and agents has led to the dominant collective principal model declining in goodness of fit as the EU has changed over time. By tracking changes in the EU from its inception as the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) to the passage of the Lisbon Treaty, it is possible to identify structural changes that have strained the institutional relationship between members and the EU. In the current context of the EU, neither the collective principal model nor the multiple principal model can perfectly capture the relationship. Instead, a hybrid approach is needed that recognizes different avenues of re-contracting that are available to specific members. Additionally, the structural progression of the EU has opened up the theoretical possibility of a role reversal between principal and agent. The EU exerts a great deal of control over member-states through proceedings that the Commission initiates to compel members to comply with EU laws, as well as controlling the scope and pace of integration by regulating the procedures of enhanced cooperation and treaty opt-ins. This indicates that states are being given direction by the EU, rather than the reverse. Though the EU is very much unique among IOs, these developments are parsimonious enough that it is possible for them to occur in other institutional arrangements as well. Much of the impetus for these shifts can be found in the European focus on the normative benefits of integration which, instituted in another context, could lead to similar shifts occurring.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/1808/12220
    Collections
    • Theses [3797]
    • Political Science Dissertations and Theses [135]

    Items in KU ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.


    We want to hear from you! Please share your stories about how Open Access to this item benefits YOU.


    Contact KU ScholarWorks
    785-864-8983
    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    785-864-8983

    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    Image Credits
     

     

    Browse

    All of KU ScholarWorksCommunities & CollectionsThis Collection

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Contact KU ScholarWorks
    785-864-8983
    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    785-864-8983

    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    Image Credits
     

     

    The University of Kansas
      Contact KU ScholarWorks
    Lawrence, KS | Maps
     
    • Academics
    • Admission
    • Alumni
    • Athletics
    • Campuses
    • Giving
    • Jobs

    The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 W. Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS, 66045, (785)864-6414, 711 TTY.

     Contact KU
    Lawrence, KS | Maps