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... > social science subjects > politics and international relations > political science > political theory > formal and positive theory > principal-agent theory
... > social science subjects > psychology > behavior mechanisms > behavior (psychology) > political behavior > principal-agent theory
social science subjects > politics and international relations > political science > political behavior > principal-agent theory

Preferred term

principal-agent theory  

Definition

  • Principal-agent theory is based on a hierarchical notion of political relationships that traces back to the politics-administration dichotomy first enunciated by Woodrow Wilson in 1887. Politics involves deciding who gets what, while administration deals with how—and arguably, when—it is delivered. [Source: The Encyclopedia of Political Science; Principal-agent Theory]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/principal-agent_theory

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