Rent-Seeking
When a company, organization or individual uses their resources to obtain an economic gain from others without reciprocating any benefits back to society through wealth creation.
Investopedia Commentary
An example of rent-seeking is when a company lobbies the government for loan subsidies, grants or tariff protection. These activities don't create any benefit for society, they just redistribute resources from the taxpayers to the special-interest group.
Related Links
Economics Basics Tutorial
See also: Economy, Market Value Added, Protectionism, Tariff, Wealth Added Index - WAI