Rent Sucking

In some places it is called "to create difficulties (bureaucracy) to sell (bribe) easiness".

This finding is consistent with the findings by Tim Harford and the World Bank, which showed a negative correlation between economic growth and development vs. gubmnt red tape.

Seems like payments made to gov't workers for administrative burden are just a fancy sort of welfare. Why not just bury money and get people to go dig it up? I suppose the difference is that these people are being paid to waste their own time AND the time of other people who are attempting to create real jobs.

I think economists do themselves damage by continuing to use the phrase, "rent seeking." Talk about a term of art. Only an economist can connect the activity with the ordinary notion of rent - A pays B to use B's property as if it belonged to A.

Then too, "seeking" is more often "paying". How about "privilege buying?"

Bill Drissel
Grand Prairie, TX