Technology
The Principal-Agent Problem in Legislative Delegation to Bureaucracies
Quick fact
In the U.S. federal government, Congress delegates so much authority that agencies effectively create around 90% of all federal law, meaning the 'principals'—the legislators—often cannot watch the 'agents' making the real rules.
Why this is interesting
You might expect that when Congress passes a law, it gets implemented exactly as written. But in reality, a huge amount of policy is actually written by unelected bureaucrats—so how do lawmakers know their plans aren't quietly changed?