That's a very government centric definition but I prefer: >Rent-seeking is an attempt to obtain economic rent (i.e., the portion of income paid to a factor of

That's a very government centric definition but I prefer: >Rent-seeking is an attempt to obtain economic rent (i.e., the portion of income paid to a factor of production in excess of what is needed to keep it employed in its current use) by manipulating the social or political environment in which economic activities occur, rather than by creating new wealth. The important bit in rent-seeking is "rather than creating new wealth."