It's definitely NOT "Drinking your milkshake."
October 23, 2008 5:17 AM   Subscribe

Searching for a business term I cannot remember...

Perhaps the lamest use of AskMe questions, but I've tried to remember a term for an hour now, tried various searches for web pages in which it might appear, consulted phrasebooks and lexicons... but nothing. I hope someone will read this, know what I mean, and give me a quick head-slap.

I am trying to remember a term used in business wherein a corporation, rather than working to better its products/services or reduce their costs, instead expends effort lobbying for changes to the law, government legislation or other rule-changing from above that will improve their own situation or profitability. Often (but not necessarily) the desired but hidden goal is the creation or enhancement a monopoly.

A US automaker, for example, might lobby for protectionist laws that impose a tax on foreign cars rather than spending the same effort improving their own products. Or a telco might argue for a law preventing cable TV companies from providing internet services. (I am sure there are better examples, and I will think of others if necessary.)

It's an anti-competitive activity much like lobbying the refs in sports: it's playing the rules rather than playing the game.

If I recall correctly, the term is a reference to one specific historical US example of doing this, perhaps from the days of the great rail/oil monopolies, (it's something something), but the term itself is actually applies more broadly, in the same way that "gerrymandering" was once a specific situation in Massachusetts, but now applies to any similar activity.

I hope this question makes sense. Help me, great green brain!
posted by rokusan to Writing & Language (5 answers total)
 
Regulatory capture?

Regulatory capture is a term used to refer to situations in which a government regulatory agency created to act in the public interest instead acts in favor of the commercial or special interests that dominate in the industry or sector it is charged with regulating.

posted by pwnguin at 5:46 AM on October 23, 2008


Best answer: My guess would be rent-seeking.
posted by shadow vector at 5:49 AM on October 23, 2008


Gaming the system?
posted by JaredSeth at 5:52 AM on October 23, 2008


2nding rent-seeking.

Regulatory capture, if I recall correctly, is more concerned with when regulation fails. Rent-seeking doesn't have regulation inherent in its description (as per your tariff example).
posted by Lemurrhea at 8:22 AM on October 23, 2008


Response by poster: Bingo. Thanks!
posted by rokusan at 9:03 AM on October 23, 2008


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