Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
rent-seeking

rent-seeking

1 9.5
To try to get money or benefits without creating new value by using power to change rules
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛntˌsiːkɪŋ/
  • Formal
translation icon : búsqueda de rentas
  • Rent-seeking and other unproductive activities have led to a further waste of resources.
  • rent-seeking legislation

Examples

  • Many economists argue that rent-seeking distorts the market and hinders economic growth.

  • Rent-seeking from the national government is limited by giving it only limited powers, including limited powers of taxation.

    Academic text (1997)

  • In this way, information markets can limit the potential for rent seeking.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The reason is that rent-seeking is not a productive activity.

    Blog text (4)

  • The magnitude of "rent seeking" in our economy, while hard to quantify, is clearly enormous.

    Blog text (21)

  • Thus, a government whose policies consist of one or another form of rent-seeking and misappropriation of the nation's wealth cannot be considered a democracy.

    Academic text (2004)

  • The corporation needs to be a republican citizen and a participant in public policy formation, not just a rent-seeking special interest.

    Academic text (2017)

  • The declining tax revenue leads to growing dependence both on external revenues and on private sources, through, for example, rent-seeking or criminal activities.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Since then, they have embraced the consequences and have built states based on short-term, self-interested, rent-seeking policies.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Unfortunately, these reforms are an elusive target because of the rent-seeking incentives possessed by Russia's leadership.

    Academic text (2010)

Synonyms

profiteering
vsrent-seeking
7.0

A person or business that tries to get unfairly large amounts of money by taking advantage of a crisis

focuses on changing rules or policies to gain without creating new value
self-seeking
vsrent-seeking
7.7

Doing things only to get personal gain while ignoring other people

aims to change rules or policy to increase share without creating value

How Extractive

corruption
355 4.8
rent-seeking
  • Formal
1 9.5
competition
251 2.6
production
304 2.7

Surface Forms

rent-seeking singular
rent-seekings plural

Morphology

rent-seeking = rent + seek (semi-transparent) = rent + seek + ing

Formally a compound of 'rent' + the gerund 'seeking' so the parts are clear, but the term has a specialized economic meaning ('capturing existing wealth') that may not be obvious to general learners.

Etymology

Rent-seeking comes from rent, which means 'income' like the money a landlord gets, and seeking, meaning 'trying to get'. So rent-seeking is a helpful way to remember people 'trying to get' income or advantages without creating new wealth, often by using power or rules to move money to themselves.