In recent decades states have transferred competences to international organizations (IOs). In a first step, we will measure empowerment by focusing on IOs services and resources. In a second step, based on a principal-agent approach, we explain empowerment as a function of the degree of cohesion among principals, and the institutional design of the delegation contract. By using an interdisciplinary approach including political science, economics, law and organizational sociology, we will develop a model of power delegation to IOs that introduces a dynamic temporal dimension into principal-agent theory. On the empirical side, the main novelty of the project consists of adopting a comparative research design and a longitudinal perspective. Analyzing the institutional empowerment of different IOs over a period of 65 years (1950-2015), we will focus on the following IOs: European Union, NATO, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and World Health Organization.
