@cshentrup most rents are not government graft. they derive from market power, the ability to prevent competition. Warren Buffet is famously open about how his wealth derives from businesses with moats.

@cshentrup under the hypothetical capitalism in neoliberal models, economic profits (ie those above market rates of return on entrepreneur and physical capital inputs) are transient rewards to innovation, for firms that jump ahead until competitors catch up. durable economic profits are rents in the sense they'd not prevail under perfect competition, though we might argue whether some barriers to competition (eg "network effects") are "legitimate".