rent-seeking
|rent-seek-ing|
/ˈrɛntˌsiːkɪŋ/
seeking unearned income
Etymology
'rent-seeking' originates from English economics literature in the 1960s–1970s, specifically coined and discussed by scholars such as Gordon Tullock and popularized by Anne Krueger; it combines 'rent' (in the economic sense of 'economic rent') and the present participle 'seeking' (from 'seek').
'rent' (the first element) comes into English via Middle English from Old French 'rente' (related to payments or revenue) and ultimately from Latin-derived medieval forms referring to returns or payments; the modern compound 'rent-seeking' was formed in 20th-century English by attaching 'seeking' to 'rent' to name a political-economic behavior.
Originally, 'rent' meant a payment for the use of land or property (a form of income); by the 20th century the compound 'rent-seeking' narrowed this sense to the technical idea of seeking unearned or non-productive income through manipulation of the political or regulatory environment.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
in economics and political economy, the activity of trying to increase one's share of existing wealth without creating new wealth, typically by using political influence, lobbying, tariffs, subsidies, regulatory capture, or other non-productive means to obtain economic rents.
Critics say the industry’s success is due more to rent-seeking than to genuine innovation.
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Verb 1
to engage in rent-seeking; to try to obtain economic rents or special privileges through non-productive, often political, means.
Some firms rent-seek by lobbying for regulations that raise rivals' costs.
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Last updated: 2025/11/19 14:01