Introduction

Abstract

Rooted in theoretical frameworks such as principal-agent theory, sociological institutionalism, and other organizational theories, these studies have left the Mount Everest syndrome behind, allowing political science scholars to study IOs not merely because they are there but because there is strong theoretical and empirical evidence that they actually matter, not just as sets of rules but also as actors in their own right who are involved in processes of global policymaking.Scholars utilizing a principal-agent perspective make the functionalist argument that nation-states (principals) delegate powers to IOs (agents) when they