The theory of agency autonomy reminded me of the Grand Inquisitor section of The Brothers Karamazov. Here, Dostoevsky imagines a scenario where Jesus has returned to Earth, only to be imprisoned by a church leader: the Grand Inquisitor. The Inquisitor tells Jesus free will has doomed humanity and argues the "deceit" of church bureaucracy is needed to save everyone from the "torments" of choice.
Dostoevsky's religious critiques fit nicely into this economic framework.
The "principal" is Jesus/God. The self-appointed "agency" is the church; the Inquisitor is their "Chief Bureaucrat." God's will, aka what the principal requires of the agent, is the spread of Christianity.
The church is the monopolistic supplier of Christianity. The clergy supplies their own interpretation of the religion to the "uneducated masses," who can obtain no alternatives. This "output" is "take-it-or-leave-it," since Jesus isn't physically present to negotiate on behalf of the masses, or recruit better bureaucrats. This ties to a monitoring problem - who checks the power of this agency? God?
Only the Grand Inquisitor knows the true cost schedule for these services. Rather than maximizing for "budget," he maximizes for "influence," which grants him prestige/perks in this life and, allegedly, God's favor in the afterlife.
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