Why Delegate? moves beyond the standard economic accounts of delegation to offer a fresh take on a wide variety of issues and shows how essential the act of delegating is to our society.
From mundane tasks like choosing a plumber to weightier ones like running a country, the world turns on delegation. We delegate particular tasks to people we believe have more expertise than we do. When it is successful, delegation improves efficiency, expands the range of responsible actors, and even increases happiness. When delegation fails, though, it brings conflict, corruption, and an absence of accountability.
In Why Delegate?, Neil J. Mitchell investigates the incentives to delegate and the risks we take in doing so. He demonstrates how a new, modified understanding of the simple structure of the delegation relationship-the principal-agent relationship, as economists have described it-simplifies a myriad of important and seemingly disparate problems in private and public life. Using real-world case studies including child abuse in the Catholic Church, the Volkswagen pollution scandal, and FIFA corruption, Mitchell illustrates the broad functionality of delegation logic and the wide range of incentives at work in these relationships. Diverse examples reveal the opportunism of both the leaders and the led and show how accepted accounts of the principal-agent relationship are incomplete. By drawing on multidisciplinary research to address complex questions of motivation, control, responsibility, and accountability, the book builds a broader, more useful logic of delegation.
Why Delegate? moves beyond the standard economic accounts of delegation to offer a fresh take on a wide variety of issues and shows how essential the act of delegating is to our society. Mitchell's comprehensive account of the contexts, causes, and effects of delegation develops a new way to understand both the theory and practice of this critical relationship.
Industry Reviews
"The book is short, well-organized, jargon- free, and engagingly written. It will be enjoya- ble and useful reading for college students, scholars, policy makers, members of the media, and the public. It should appeal to students in many disciplines, policymakers in many fields, and to all citizens who care about holding their leaders accountable. While it is accessible to a broad audience by design, it also is challenging enough to be considered for adoption
as required reading in public policy courses." -- David L Cingranelli, Binghamton University, Political Studies Review
"Why Delegate? sheds light on questions of systemic impunity in military and religious institutions when criminal behavior goes unpunished. Mitchell's analysis helps untangle the circumstances when higher-ups cannot exert their authority and when they will not do so. This work is an important contribution to understanding systematic failures of accountability.... A compelling read." -- Patrick Pierce, Fund for Global Human Rights
"With clear writing and diverse examples, this very readable book comprehensively examines issues of delegation. Mitchell provides an uncommon treatment of the principal-agent problem that is accessible to a wide audience."--Gary Uzonyi, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Tennessee Knoxville
