> It also seems that your use of "rent seeking" doesn't match established use. No, OP used it exactly correctly. It's the textbook definition. > It normally r

> It also seems that your use of "rent seeking" doesn't match established use. No, OP used it exactly correctly. It's the textbook definition. > It normally refers to people extracting money for things far beyond their actual value. No, it doesn't. The use was popularized in Wealth of Nations (yes, the original) and it refers to, as the name implies, renting out land. I buy land. Once I've done that, I extract wealth from the economy from the economy while putting nothing new in. There's a finite amount of land. This contrasts with investing in businesses (which allows them to buy capital, thereby generating further wealth), work, and other forms of income which generate wealth for the economy. In broad strokes, rent-seeking behavior is unproductive, while work, investment, etc. are productive.