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On Principal Agents, Rogue Agencies and Systemic Government Failure: A Case Study

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  • Otterson, James

Abstract

This note sums up a US Congress Committee Investigation Report (CIR) on abuses carried out by intelligence agents of the Department of Commerce (DOC) over the last twenty years. We also consider some possible background contexts underlining the issues covered by the CIR along with preventive policy considerations. In terms of economic theory, this is an account of how principal agents built a rogue government agency that potentially triggered a systemic failure of part of the US government. We consider the mechanisms that enabled the underlining principal agent problems and mitigating factors for each given mechanism.

Suggested Citation

  • Otterson, James, 2023. "On Principal Agents, Rogue Agencies and Systemic Government Failure: A Case Study," MPRA Paper 118023, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:118023
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    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/120079/8/MPRA_paper_120079.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andreas Lichter & Max Löffler & Sebastian Siegloch, 2021. "The Long-Term Costs of Government Surveillance: Insights from Stasi Spying in East Germany," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 19(2), pages 741-789.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Principal Agent Problem; White Supremacy; Surveillance Capitalism;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H83 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - Public Administration

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