rent-seeking

American  

[rent-see-king] / ˈrɛntˌsi kɪŋ /

Or rent seeking

noun

Economics.

1. the act or process of using one’s assets and resources to increase one’s share of existing wealth without creating new wealth.

2. (specifically) the act or process of exploiting the political process or manipulating the economic environment to increase one’s revenue or profits.

   Rent-seeking by lobbyists succeeded in obtaining favorable tariff treatment for the company’s exports.

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Other Word Forms

• rent-seeker noun

Etymology

Origin of rent-seeking

First recorded in 1970–75; (economic) rent + seeking

Example Sentences

“Like a lot of things on Wall Street, I think it exposed a lot of unfairness, a lot of rent-seeking and a lot of regulatory capture. And I think those things really resonated.”

From Barron's

"They're not heavily enforced, but they create ample opportunities for rent-seeking," Naveed Mehmood Ahmad, co-author of the study at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, told me.

From BBC

“Rather than seeking to compete fairly,” Mr. Feldman told him, “I see what you’re doing as rent-seeking behavior, pure and simple.”

From New York Times

But since the charity stopped using it, he said, the building had become a target for rent-seeking syndicates.

From Reuters

It has failed to shed its patronage and rent-seeking culture, and internal bickering presents a challenge.

From Seattle Times