A method for increasing recovery of crude oil from a subterranean hydrocarbon-containing formation, the method comprising: injecting an aqueous flooding fluid into a well that is in contact with the subterranean hydrocarbon-containing formation, the aqueous flooding fluid comprising injection water and a mobility control agent, the mobility control agent comprising a cross-linked water-soluble polymer, wherein the cross-links break to form the water-soluble polymer having fewer cross-links, wherein the mobility control agent comprises a water-in-oil emulsion of an aqueous phase and an oil phase, the aqueous phase comprising the cross-linked water-soluble polymer and the oil phase comprising a surfactant and an organic solvent or a hydrocarbon oil, wherein the surfactant comprises a polyoxyalkylene sorbitan di-, tri-, or tetra-oleate, a polyoxyalkylene sorbitan di-, tri-, or tetra-stearate, a sorbitol tri-, tetra-, penta-, or hexa-oleate, a sorbitol tri-, tetra-, penta-, or hexa-stearate, a polyoxyalkylene sorbitol di-, tri-, tetra-, penta, or hexa-oleate, a polyoxyalkylene sorbitol di-, tri-, tetra-, penta-, or hexa-stearate, a copolymer of poly(12-hydroxystearic acid) and polyoxyalkylene, an alkylated polyglycerol, an oxyalkylated polyglycerol, an alkylated polyglycoside, an oxyalkylate polyglycoside, an alkylated polysaccharide, an oxyalkylated polysaccharide, or a combination thereof, wherein the water soluble polymer is an anionic, high molecular weight polyacrylamide, produced by the copolymerization of acrylamide with an anionic monomer, wherein the water-soluble polymer comprises 0.1 ppm to 20000 ppm hydrolyzable covalently bonded cross-linking units based on the weight of the water-soluble polymer, and wherein the hydrolyzable covalently bonded cross-linking units have the following formula (IIa): wherein: each R is independently hydrogen or methyl; Z is a bond or a C 1 -C 12 alkylenyl group; and each represents a point of attachment to a first polymer backbone, and each represents a point of attachment to the first polymer backbone or to a second polymer backbone. injecting an aqueous flooding fluid into a well that is in contact with the subterranean hydrocarbon-containing formation, the aqueous flooding fluid comprising injection water and a mobility control agent, the mobility control agent comprising a cross-linked water-soluble polymer, wherein the cross-links break to form the water-soluble polymer having fewer cross-links, wherein the mobility control agent comprises a water-in-oil emulsion of an aqueous phase and an oil phase, the aqueous phase comprising the cross-linked water-soluble polymer and the oil phase comprising a surfactant and an organic solvent or a hydrocarbon oil, wherein the surfactant comprises a polyoxyalkylene sorbitan di-, tri-, or tetra-oleate, a polyoxyalkylene sorbitan di-, tri-, or tetra-stearate, a sorbitol tri-, tetra-, penta-, or hexa-oleate, a sorbitol tri-, tetra-, penta-, or hexa-stearate, a polyoxyalkylene sorbitol di-, tri-, tetra-, penta, or hexa-oleate, a polyoxyalkylene sorbitol di-, tri-, tetra-, penta-, or hexa-stearate, a copolymer of poly(12-hydroxystearic acid) and polyoxyalkylene, an alkylated polyglycerol, an oxyalkylated polyglycerol, an alkylated polyglycoside, an oxyalkylate polyglycoside, an alkylated polysaccharide, an oxyalkylated polysaccharide, or a combination thereof, wherein the water soluble polymer is an anionic, high molecular weight polyacrylamide, produced by the copolymerization of acrylamide with an anionic monomer, wherein the water-soluble polymer comprises 0.1 ppm to 20000 ppm hydrolyzable covalently bonded cross-linking units based on the weight of the water-soluble polymer, and wherein the hydrolyzable covalently bonded cross-linking units have the following formula (IIa): each R is independently hydrogen or methyl; Z is a bond or a C 1 -C 12 alkylenyl group; and each represents a point of attachment to a first polymer backbone, and each represents a point of attachment to the first polymer backbone or to a second polymer backbone.