What Is the ‘Rent-Seeking’ Behavior Often Associated with PoW Mining?

Rent-seeking in PoW refers to miners using their influence or position to gain economic advantage without creating new wealth. This can include activities like manipulating transaction ordering (Miner Extractable Value or MEV) or lobbying for favorable regulatory treatment.

Since miners control the block space, they can prioritize their own transactions or those of paying parties, extracting value that does not benefit the broader network or users.