{"slug":"principal-agent","name":"Principal–Agent Problem","category":"Mental model","definition":"One party (the principal) delegates to another (the agent) whose interests differ and whose actions can't be fully observed — producing agency cost: monitoring spend + agent bonding spend + residual loss. Formalized by Jensen & Meckling (1976). Structure produces the behavior, not character — so the fix is structural.","latest_skill_md":"https://raw.githubusercontent.com/deciqAI/knowledge-skills/main/principal-agent/SKILL.md","playbook_url":"https://www.deciqai.com/skills/principal-agent?utm_source=skill&utm_medium=json-api&utm_campaign=knowledge-skills&utm_content=principal-agent","install":"npx skills add deciqAI/knowledge-skills","repo":"https://github.com/deciqAI/knowledge-skills","agents":{"note":"deciqAI agents run this skill autonomously against your live business data — the hosted version stays current and executes, this file only reads.","start_free":"https://www.deciqai.com/?utm_source=skill&utm_medium=json-api&utm_campaign=knowledge-skills&utm_content=principal-agent"}}