Abstract
This paper points out, in the changing institutional setting of transition in Romania, Some relevant factors influencing economic actors to behave in a way that pushes them to devote resources to unproductive goals, rather than to embark on activities that add economic and social value. The theoretical insights offered in the literature of rent seeking are applied to the issues of transition. A mathematical model of a rent seeking economy is presented, analyzing the influence of interest groups activity on the overall income of the economy. Some examples of rent seeking behavior that severely hamper the economic efficiency are illustrated for the case of Romania. The conclusion is that, in appreciating the progress in transition, the reduction in rent seeking is an important factor to be taken into consideration.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Åslund, A. “The End of Rent Seeking: The End of Post-Communist Transformation,” In: Brown, A. When is Transition Over?, Michigan: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 1999 pp. 51–68.
Bhagwati, J. N.; Brecher, R. A.; Srinivasa, T. N. “DUP Activities and Economic Theory,” In: Colander, D. C. Neoclassical Political Economy, Ballinger: Cambridge, 1984, pp. 17–32.
Commission of the European Communities, Regular Report on Romania's Progress Towards Accession, Brussels, 6.10.2004, SEC (2004) 1200, 2004, p. 34.
Crăiut¸u, A. Elogiul libertăt¸ii—Studii de Filosofie Politică, Iaşi, Romania: Editura Polirom, 1998, pp. 169–77.
Dăianu, D. Inter-enterprise Arrears in a Post-command Economy: Thoughts from a Romanian Perspective. IMF Working Paper WP/94/54, Washington: IMF, 1994.
—. Transformation as a Real Process, Aldershot (UK): Ashgate, 1998.
Dăianu, D.; Vrânceanu, R. România s¸i Uniunea Europeană, Ias¸i, Romania: Editura Polirom, 2002, pp. 187–90.
Demirbas, D. Rent Seeking in Developed and Developing Countries: Cross Section and Time Series Studies. Discussion Papers in Economics 99/2, Department of Economics: University of Leicester, April, 1999.
Earle, S. J.; Telegdy, A. “Privatization Methods and Productivity Effects in Romanian Industrial Enterprises,” Journal of Comparative Economics, 30 (4), December, 2002, pp. 657–82.
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Transition Report, 2000, p. 21.
Fonkich, K. “Rent Seeking and Interest Groups under Institutions of Transition: The Case of Ukraine,” in http://www.sigov.si/zmar/conference/2000, 2000.
Frydman, R.; Rapaczynski, A. Privatization in Eastern Europe: Is the State Withering Away?, Budapest: Central European University Press, 1994, p. 193.
Gray, C. W.; Kaufmann, D. “Corruption and Development,” in Finance & Development, 35 (1), World Bank, March, 1998, pp. 7–10.
Institute of Criminology. Evaluation of the Integrity and Resistance to Corruption of the Judiciary, Romania: Ministry of Justice, 2003.
Jones, E. Growth Recurring: Economic Change in World History, Oxford University Press, 1988.
Kaminski, B.; Ng, F. Romania's Integration into European Markets: Implications for Sustainability of the Current Export Boom. Policy Research Working Paper 3451, World Bank, November-background paper prepared for Romania: Restructuring for EU Integration—The Policy Agenda, Country Economic Memorandum. Washington, District of Columbia, World Bank, 2004.
Khan, M. H.; Sundaram, K. (eds.), Rents, Rent-Seeking and Economic Development, Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2000, p.12.
Kreuger, A. O. “The Political Economy of the Rent-Seeking Society,” American Economic Review, 64, 1974, pp. 291–303.
Murthy, K.; Shleifer, A.; Vishny, R. W. “Why is Rent Seeking so Costly to Growth?” American Economic Review, V (3), 1993, pp. 409–13.
North, D. Institutions. Institutional Change and Economic Performance, Cambridge University Press, 1990.
Romanian Academic Society (SAR). United Nations Development Project ROM/99/006—Early Warning Report Romania, 2002, pp. 5–8.
—. Policy Warning and Forecast Report—Romania in 2005, 2005, pp. 10–11.
Tornell, A.; Lane, Ph. “The Voracity Effect,” American Economic Review, 89 (1), March, 1999, pp. 22–46.
Tullock, G. “The Welfare Costs of Tariffs, Monopolies and Theft,” Western Economic Journal, 5, 1967, pp. 224–32.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tache, I., Lixandroiu, D. Rent Seeking Behavior in Transition Countries: The Case of Romania. Int Adv Econ Res 12, 395–407 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11294-006-9027-1
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11294-006-9027-1