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Glite Dictionary
rent-seeking

rent-seeking

2 9.5
To try to get money or benefits without creating new value by using power to change rules
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛntˌsiːkɪŋ/
  • Formal
: 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
1 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
1 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
382 4.8
rent-seeking
  • Formal
2 9.5
competition
219 2.6
production
668 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.